As robots take on more tasks in factories and artificial intelligence reshapes the way businesses operate, the future of work is becoming a central issue in the digital transition. The challenge is no longer simply how much work machines can perform, but how people can adapt, develop new capabilities and remain active participants in a changing economy.

Liu Meng, Head of China Office with the United Nations Global Compact, addressed this challenge during a dialogue last week on technological innovation and urban development in Ningbo, eastern China.

Speaking after visiting an intelligent manufacturing facility where robots demonstrated a range of industrial and service-related applications, Liu stressed that businesses should help workers prepare for digital transformation through skills development and retraining. Employees, she argued, should have opportunities to participate in and benefit from the changes taking place around them.

This is an important consideration for businesses adopting AI. Automation may change the tasks required in production and services, but it also changes the skills that workers need. If companies focus only on reducing costs or increasing output, they risk treating workers as part of the adjustment process rather than as participants in shaping the future of their industries.

Training and reskilling should therefore be an integral part of technological investment, rather than an afterthought. Workers need opportunities to acquire new skills, move into changing roles and adapt to emerging forms of production. Businesses, in turn, need to consider how employees can contribute to the transformation rather than simply respond to it.

The challenge also extends beyond workers already employed in technology-related industries. Women and people in rural and remote communities may face greater barriers to accessing digital skills, finance and entrepreneurial opportunities. If these barriers persist, the AI transition could concentrate new economic opportunities among those who are already better positioned to benefit from technological change.

Liu highlighted the importance of expanding opportunities for women and underserved communities to participate in the digital economy. This is not simply about providing access to technology. It is about enabling more people to become contributors to innovation, rather than remaining on the margins of the transformation.

For businesses, this means making inclusion part of their approach to technological change. The United Nations Global Compact's principles on human rights and labour, together with its Women's Empowerment Principles, provide a framework for considering whether corporate practices support equal opportunities and respect workers' rights. The issue is not only whether companies are becoming more productive through AI, but also whether their employees have a meaningful opportunity to develop and benefit from the changes.

The transition also raises questions about the infrastructure needed to support it. As Liu noted, investment in digital infrastructure, including projects associated with the Belt and Road Initiative, should take account of energy efficiency, environmental impact and long-term sustainability. Access to digital infrastructure remains an important condition for participation in the digital economy, but its development must also be environmentally responsible.

Ultimately, the AI transition is not simply a technological upgrade. It is also a transformation of work, skills and economic opportunities. Governments, businesses and educational institutions all have a role in helping people prepare for these changes. This requires investment not only in machines and digital infrastructure, but also in education, training and the capabilities of the workforce.

The success of the AI transition should not be measured solely by how many tasks machines can take over or how much productivity businesses can gain. It should also be measured by whether workers can shape their changing roles, whether more people can enter emerging industries and whether the opportunities created by innovation are open to a broader range of people.

AI may transform the way economies work. But people should remain active participants in deciding how that transformation unfolds.