S&D Group MEPs met with experts from academia, industry and civil society to discuss the effects of the robot revolution on Europe. The conference followed the adoption of the European Parliament’s first ever report on robots earlier this year.


S&D Group Vice-President responsible for digital policy Josef Weidenholzer said:

“The digitalisation and robotisation of our society and economy is going to change the way we live and work beyond recognition. Over the next 10 years, ideas such as driverless cars that once seemed like science fiction will become an everyday reality. These developments offers huge opportunities, from new high-skilled jobs to advances in medical care that will help us live longer, healthier lives. However, there are also many profound questions about how our societies will function in a world where robots are doing more of the work. How do we need to adapt education and training for this new reality? How do we ensure wealth is distributed fairly? The purpose of this conference was to begin looking at these questions and ensure that we on the left are shaping this new world.”


S&D MEP and author of the Parliament report on robots Mady Delvaux-Stehres said:

“As technological innovation continues to get ever faster, robots will play an increasingly important part of our daily lives. This can offer huge benefits assisting us with difficult or dangerous tasks and freeing us from mundane ones. However, these changes are taking place now and it is essential that we look at the legal and ethical questions being raised. That was the idea behind the report adopted earlier this year and the conference. We need to ensure that the robot revolution works for all citizens and does not lead to mass unemployment or widening inequality between rich and poor.”