On 2 September, Ceemet co-organised an event with MEP Andrea Wechsler entitled “Balancing Innovation and Oversight: Industry Insights on a Potential AI at Work Legislation”.
During the debate, panellists discussed the risks and concerns surrounding the use of AI at workplace within the framework of EU legislation. A concrete example came from the French SME Heuille & Fils, a 30-employee aerospace company, which underlined that companies in the MET industries are under intense global pressure. To remain competitive, they see no alternative but to adopt AI solutions.
Nevertheless, as Ceemet’s Finnish member organisation TIF pointed out, the European Parliament continues to propose new directives that bring additional administrative and financial burdens for companies and discourages AI adoption.
Representative of the European Commission, Manuela Geleng, sought to reassure industry by stressing that competitiveness remains the Commission’s top priority. At the same time, however, they argued that AI in the workplace is not yet fully addressed at EU level and warned against Member States introducing their own national legislation on the subject.
For MEP Andrea Wechsler, the reality is clear: companies are already struggling and cannot be expected to absorb additional regulatory layers while simultaneously implementing the AI Act due to be transposed by 2026 and the revised GDPR. She warned that a potential new legislation on AI at workplace, which is discussed in the MEP Bula’s report, could slow down the adoption of new technologies in the EU and undermine competitiveness.
The CEO of Heuille & Fils, Xavier Heuille added that Europe is already lagging behind in AI adoption: “We have no hardware providers and insufficient data storage. Companies expect Brussels to protect us from external competition, not to impose further internal restrictions.”
Closing the discussion, Ceemet Director General Delphine Rudelli reiterated industry’s call to avoid additional legislation and administrative burdens: “EU policymakers should place trust in the existing framework and focus on creating the right environment for innovation and the adoption of AI tools. Otherwise, the Old Continent will be left with little more than its name.”
The event provided an opportunity to present Ceemet’s latest research, the results of its survey on the use of data and AI in the workplace, as well as its position paper on the topic.