Shaping AI for the future of work – insights from the arbeit.digital Zukunftskonferenz 2026
Artificial intelligence is changing the way work is organized, managed and experienced. From AI and algorithmic decision-making to new digital infrastructures, their impact is being felt in all areas of science and industry. What is less clear, however, is how this change should be shaped.
This was the central question of the arbeit.digital Zukunftskonferenz 2026, held in Vienna from March 18 to 20. The premise of the organiser, the Vienna Chamber of Labour: technological change does not happen by itself – it is actively shaped by people, companies and governments. The future of work should, therefore, not be left to external forces alone, but requires conscious shaping by politics, business and society.
The conference programme focused on three interlinked topics: Europe’s digital sovereignty, the realities of the workplace and regulatory frameworks.
A common thread running through all the discussions was twofold: On the one hand, Europe is facing increasing external dependencies – from hardware supply chains to global platform providers. On the other hand, there is a strong commitment to values such as data protection, fairness and democratic participation. The future of work is being shaped at the intersection of these forces.
Strategy is not the bottleneck
Many discussions highlighted existing successful strategies – both at EU level and as part of national initiatives.
The challenge lies in the implementation:
- How do investments in AI infrastructure lead to real productivity gains?
- How can organisations integrate AI into existing workflows without disrupting operations?
- And how can employees retain their capacity for action and co-determination instead of being marginalised by technology?
In workshops and panel discussions, it was concluded that the success or failure of the introduction of AI is not decided at the level of the technology, but at the level of the organisation and the people. Issues of co-determination, trust and user-friendliness are central and determine whether systems are accepted and used in practice.
Infrastructure as a prerequisite
At the same time, the future of work is increasingly tied to infrastructure. AI on a large scale requires computing power, energy and secure data environments – resources that are still unevenly distributed.
Several contributions highlighted the growing importance of European initiatives such as EuroHPC, which are investing heavily in world-class supercomputing and quantum computing infrastructure, promoting access to HPC and expanding capacity across the continent. The goal is not only technological competitiveness, but the ability to develop and operate AI systems under European conditions.
The role of AI:AT
In this context, AI Factory Austria AI:AT – represented by AI:AT Co-Head Karl Kugler – contributed to discussions on the responsible and trustworthy use of AI.
AI:AT acts as a neutral and independent facilitator between infrastructure providers, users and ecosystem partners. It supports organisations in accessing the European HPC infrastructure, in working in secure data environments and in the practical implementation of AI.
The focus is not on technology for its own sake, but on making it usable and relevant in real-world contexts. Put simply: bringing the infrastructure closer to the users instead of expecting the users to adapt to it.
The conference made it clear that the design of AI in the work context is not a purely technical task. It requires coordination, compromises, clear priorities and also spaces where these issues can be discussed openly – before final decisions are made.
The future of work is already taking shape. The question is not whether AI will be part of it, but under what conditions.
