ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND AUTOMATION: THE FUTURE OF LABOUR LAW
AUTHOR – JAGADIP T, STUDENT AT SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE IN LAW, THE TAMIL NADU DR AMBEDKAR LAW UNIVERSITY
BEST CITATION – JAGADIP T, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND AUTOMATION: THE FUTURE OF LABOUR LAW, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (5) OF 2026, PG. 01-05, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.
ABSTRACT
The accelerating convergence of artificial intelligence and automation is exerting unprecedented pressure upon the foundational assumptions of labour law. Employment relationships built on stable presumptions an identifiable employer, a dependent employee, human managerial oversight are now in active contest. Algorithmic hiring systems screen millions of candidates; intelligent management platforms allocate tasks and initiate terminations without meaningful human intervention; and gig-economy platforms mobilise vast workforces through digital architectures that function economically as employers while evading the legal obligations of employment. This paper undertakes a systematic legal examination of how AI and automation are reshaping the future of labour law across four dimensions: the transformation of work and employment structure; the regulatory response to algorithmic management and automated decision-making; the evolving classification of platform workers; and the human rights implications of pervasive workplace surveillance. Through comparative analysis of the EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689), the EU Platform Work Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/2831), United States state-level legislation, and India’s Code on Social Security 2020, the paper argues that existing labour law is structurally inadequate to the present technological moment and that only comprehensive, rights-centred reform grounded in algorithmic transparency, worker participation, and portable social protection can preserve the dignity and security of work in the age of intelligent automation.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Automation; Labour Law; Algorithmic Management; Gig Economy; EU AI Act; Worker Classification; Workplace Surveillance; Future of Work.