A reflection on the “Future of Work in the age of AI” European Forum with Emma Shaw

In March 2026, our founder and CEO, Sinéad, and I had the opportunity to visit Riga, Latvia, for the first time. We attended the Future of Work in the Age of AI European forum, sponsored by Google, and brings together leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society to work together and shape practical solutions to empower Europe’s workforce.  

Given how increasingly integrated technology and AI are becoming in our daily lives, I wanted to share some of my key takeaways from the event. For anyone slightly sceptical or afraid of AI, the outlook was largely optimistic.

EU legislation and progress

There was a clear sense of frustration in the room about how slowly the EU is progressing. Due to new regulations and a cautious business culture, there was a feeling that innovation was being held back. 

The EU AI Act has begun a phased approach to regulation and creating AI standards. The Act has a primary focus on safety, security, and protecting fundamental human rights in the EU. The Act will inform how new and existing tools are regulated based on a risk hierarchy. 

However, the discussion shifted from “how fast can we go” to “how well can we lead.” Pārsla Baško, Chief People Officer at FYUL proposed that we can only move at the pace our team allows, and frankly, it’s not always about speed — it’s about quality and redistributing work.

Informed leadership

There were some optimistic opinions that AI shouldn’t lead to fewer jobs; instead, it should create more meaningful work and tools for those who are employed. Leaders have a significant responsibility here. If leaders aren’t knowledgeable about AI themselves, how can they motivate teams to experiment while ensuring safety and compliance? 

A brilliant quote from Susanna Laurin, the Chair of the Funka Foundation, really resonated with the audience: “A fool with a tool is just a more powerful fool.”

Protecting education

The education segment really hit home for me. While the next generation of graduates might outperform us because they have grown up with these tools, it has never been more important to understand the human condition. Software has skills, but humans have meaning and purpose. 

It was widely agreed that AI should never be the sole gatekeeper for student applications, as it introduces too many biases. They should be interviewed and applications should always be validated by a human, like with any job.

AI and accessibility

In the latter part of the day, there was a strong focus on accessibility and Sinéad Burke, CEO of Tilting the Lens was in discussion with Christopher Patnoe for a session titled, “Designing an AI Economy That Includes Everyone”.

She spoke about gaining a deeper understanding of the disability landscape in this part of Europe. As of 2026, 41.2% of people in Latvia were identified as Disabled, compared to the EU average of 23.9%. The discussion shifted towards using AI and accessibility to better include these 221,000+ individuals in the workforce, moving beyond state benefits to active employment. It is also important to recognise that most people are often unaware of the accessibility tools already available on our own devices.

There were some clear calls to action: 

• AI must be designed to be inclusive from the beginning. 
• Every AI product should be tested by people from diverse backgrounds to ensure that no one is left behind or excluded from this important technological shift. 

Throughout the day there were some other themes we noticed:

1. Will AI help to bridge this gap and bring more Disabled people into the workforce?
2. Will the requirement for employees to use AI in their roles mean that Disabled people may leave the workforce?
3. How are we upskilling Disabled people with AI and prompt engineering to ensure they are ready to excel in the workforce? 
4. How accessible is AI?

Companies must keep in mind that for any new innovation in AI software there will be overlap with the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and any technology still needs to be compliant with other regulations, not just the AI Act.

We are now better equipped to get accessibility right. Bias and mistakes will inevitably happen, but we must learn quickly and thoughtfully. 

At Tilting the Lens we encourage our clients and community to go beyond testing prototypes or products with Disabled people. We use human-centred design principles because we must include Disabled people in the creation of the software, and hire Disabled developers and designers. 

I left Riga thinking less about the technology itself and less afraid that software and bots will take our jobs, and more encouraged about what this means for humans at the centre. How these tools can enhance our creativity and meaningful work, as long as we have the time and freedom to experiment in a safe and secure way.