AI and workplace discrimination: when progress amplifies inequality

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence into the workplace presents a significant risk of exacerbating existing inequalities, rather than serving as a tool for correction. This concern was a central theme at the 5th International Day Against Harassment and for Inclusion in the World of Work, hosted by FER Genève. The event brought together over 150 leaders, legal experts, HR professionals, AI specialists, and young professionals to discuss how AI might deepen discrimination.

Joëlle Payom, founder of Rezalliance, which launched the initiative, issued a stark warning: "This is not a celebration. It is a wake-up call." She emphasized that the core issue is not whether AI is inherently good or bad, but understanding the conditions under which it can either promote equity or accelerate exclusion. Payom highlighted that in many organizations, inclusive rhetoric often outpaces practical application, and AI now forces a confrontation with this contradiction.

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This is not a celebration. It is a wake-up call.

Experts like Dr. Axel Mazolo, president of the Geneva AI Governance Institute (Gaigi), stressed that the focus should not be on hindering innovation but on establishing genuine governance structures. This includes integrating safeguards from the initial design phase of AI tools. Panelists, including Jérôme Berthier of Deeplink, Marie-Laure Salles from the Geneva Graduate Institute, Dr. Maxime Derian, an expert for the European Commission, and Payom, agreed that simply using AI cautiously is insufficient. A deeper consideration of AI's role within organizations, its impact on human decision-making, and its potential to lend an appearance of objectivity to inherently biased mechanisms is crucial.

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An algorithm is never neutral: trained on historical data, it does not just reflect the blind spots of those who design it – it can amplify them, crystallize them, make them invisible.