EU workers increasingly rely on AI in daily tasks

A comprehensive study by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Union reveals a rapid shift toward digital work practices across the EU. Conducted between 2024 and 2025 with over 70,000 workers from all 27 member states, the study titled ‘Digital Monitoring, Algorithmic Management, and Platform Work in Europe’ examines how digitalization is reshaping work dynamics, workload intensity, and privacy in modern workplaces. Notably, about 30% of EU workers now use artificial intelligence in their daily tasks, with the highest adoption in northern and central Europe and a concentration in office-related roles. AI usage is dominated by text-related activities (65%), followed by translation (59%), data processing (38%), transcription (28%), image generation (27%), programming (24%), and customer advisory (19%). Digital supervision has also grown, with 37% of workers monitored for hours and 36% for check-in/check-out times; data shows monitoring extends to internet usage, call activity, and even vehicle location, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. Different sectors show varying levels of surveillance, with location tracking common in transport, construction, and manufacturing, while digital activity monitoring is prevalent in finance, ICT, and public administration. Algorithmic management is expanding as 24% are automatically assigned work time and 21% receive tasks algorithmically, with about 13% subject to automated performance evaluations or reward systems. The study categorizes workers by ‘platformisation’ levels, noting 33% experience digital tools without automated oversight, 42% face partial platformisation, and smaller groups in informative or physical platformisation. Complete platformisation correlates with higher stress and reduced autonomy, while informative platformisation often aligns with remote work. The findings underscore the need for balanced policies to ensure digitalization benefits both employers and employees, and highlight ongoing EU efforts toward high-quality jobs and new algorithmic governance frameworks. Publication origin is Open Access Government, based on research from The Joint Research Group.