Labour Law and Automated Systems in the EU

This chapter examines the legal regulatory framework governing automated systems in EU workplaces, focusing on the General Data Protection Regulation, the Artificial Intelligence Act, and the Platform Work Directive. It analyses their personal and material scopes, transparency requirements, and provisions for collective agreements and remedies. The chapter reveals that, while these legislations address crucial aspects of data protection, AI systems, and platform work, they often operate in distinct spheres with differing approaches. The chapter highlights that the GDPR emerges as potentially more consequential for automation and AI than the AI Act itself, while platform workers’ rights appear better protected than those in standard employment forms. It concludes that this incremental approach, while methodical, sometimes lacks coherence, creating uncertainty in the field of employment relations.