Occupational Safety and Health Equity Impacts of Artificial Intelligence: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to either reduce or exacerbate occupational safety and health (OSH) inequities in the workplace, and its impact will be mediated by numerous factors. This paper anticipates challenges to ensuring that the OSH benefits of technological advances are equitably distributed among social groups, industries, job arrangements, and geographical regions. A scoping review was completed to summarize the recent literature on AI’s role in promoting OSH equity. The scoping review was designed around three concepts: artificial intelligence, OSH, and health equity. Scoping results revealed 113 articles relevant for inclusion. The ways in which AI presents barriers and facilitators to OSH equity are outlined along with priority focus areas and best practices in reducing OSH disparities and knowledge gaps. The scoping review uncovered priority focus areas. In conclusion, AI’s role in OSH equity is vastly understudied. An urgent need exists for multidisciplinary research that addresses where and how AI is being adopted and evaluated and how its use is affecting OSH across industries, wage categories, and sociodemographic groups. OSH professionals can play a significant role in identifying strategies that ensure the benefits of AI in promoting workforce health and wellbeing are equitably distributed.