Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Labour Relations in Estonia

Abstract

The third industrial revolution, the digital revolution, affected economy and thus labour relations, too. Now the so-called fourth revolution, the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, will cause further massive changes in the labour market. This is not just about the caution that robots will replace all employees, but this also raises a question about new skills the labour market requires the employees to have. Scientific literature and the EU policy documents do not cover the AI – labour market issues in a unified approach, however welcoming the development of new technologies on the one hand, with concerns about weakening the labour force by jobs loses, on the other hand. The article elucidates the AI revolution and analyses the AI influence on labour market, specifically identifying the new skills required, based on relevant scientific literature and the EU policy documents. Considering the AI impact on labour relations, continuous alteration of skills and knowledge offered should be of special concern– it is not only about a labour relation per se, new models emerge all the time in the labour market. The authors also investigate the impact of AI on the Estonian labour market, i.e. whether the AI´s effects appear as disastrous as expected or simply a welcome development for the welfare of the state. The article discusses how AI impacts labour relations and which professions fall in a greater risk of disappearing and, more specifically, the AI´s influence on the Estonian labour market.