The impact of artificial intelligence and platform work on gender equality. Remarks on the recent Proposal for a Directive

Digitalisation is changing the world of work and, while enhancing flexibility, it is carrying multiple risks for employment and working conditions as well as widening the gender gap. Latest statistics leave no doubt: as reported by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), in the European Union and United Kingdom only 16% of artificial intelligence skilled workers are women, and the gap in the workforce widens with career length. In this context, Covid-19 pandemic has emphasized the growing use of artificial intelligence, platform work and remote working, which poses new challenges and risks, especially if there is a lack of a common discipline to regulate its principal aspects. For this reason, the Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on improving working conditions in platform work aims to provide for an important body of legal minimum standards in labour rights across the Union, and it must be wisely used to ensure that gender equality is respected in the transformation of the workplace, as it can affect hiring, task assignment, performance evaluation as well as promotion.