ILO Webinar Highlights How AI Empowers SMEs for Inclusive Growth and Decent Work

The session underscored how AI can streamline operations, improve data-driven decision-making, and strengthen worker–management collaboration when implemented with a human-centred approach.

Digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are reshaping the way small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operate across the world, unlocking opportunities to improve productivity, innovation, and working conditions. Yet, they also present new challenges related to workforce skills, inclusion, and the need to ensure that digital progress supports decent work.

These themes took centre stage during a recent international webinar organized by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Global Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) programme. The online session, attended by 71 participants including SCORE Trainers and ILO colleagues from multiple regions, explored how AI and digital tools can be integrated responsibly and cost-effectively into SME operations and training delivery.

Global Exchange on AI Adoption in SMEs

The webinar brought together practical experiences from the Philippines, China, and Vietnam, where the integration of AI into SCORE Training has already begun transforming business practices and workforce engagement. Participants discussed both the tangible benefits and the ethical considerations of using AI to enhance enterprise competitiveness without compromising job quality or inclusivity.

The session underscored how AI can streamline operations, improve data-driven decision-making, and strengthen worker–management collaboration when implemented with a human-centred approach.

The Philippines: AI Empowering Enterprise Improvement Teams

In the Philippines, the adoption of AI in SCORE Training has been instrumental in supporting Enterprise Improvement Teams (EITs) — groups composed of both workers and managers that identify key challenges and work collaboratively to solve them.

By integrating AI-powered tools into training programmes, SCORE Trainers have learned to automate data analysis, improve documentation processes, and even optimise factory layouts. This digital support helps teams make evidence-based decisions and achieve continuous productivity gains.

According to trainers, AI tools are not replacing human judgment but enhancing it — providing faster, more accurate insights that free up workers’ time for creative problem-solving and skill development.

China: Pioneering the “SCORE AI Agent”

China’s SCORE Academy has become a model of digital integration in enterprise training. The academy launched an AI-powered e-learning platform that allows participants to access personalised learning modules and track their progress in real time.

In addition, trainers have started using AI to support onsite sessions — generating meeting summaries, drafting Enterprise Improvement Plans (EIPs), and assisting with documentation.

A major innovation from China’s experience is the “SCORE AI Agent”, a WeChat-based chatbot designed to provide real-time assistance to trainers, managers, and workers even after formal training ends. This tool ensures continuous learning and practical guidance, embodying the principle of lifelong learning central to the ILO’s vision for the future of work.

Vietnam: Reshaping Jobs, Not Replacing Them

In Vietnam, the introduction of AI into SCORE Training has sparked valuable discussions about how technology transforms job roles rather than eliminates them. Trainers and SMEs have begun experimenting with low-cost AI tools that improve efficiency while supporting human participation and oversight.

Vietnam’s approach highlights the need to combine short-term productivity enhancements with long-term digital transformation strategies, ensuring that businesses remain competitive and workers stay adaptable.

This experience has reaffirmed that sustainable AI adoption in SMEs must go hand-in-hand with workforce reskilling, social dialogue, and inclusive access to digital infrastructure.

Promoting Human-Centred AI and Decent Work

A key takeaway from the webinar was the emphasis on human-centred AI — ensuring that technology serves people, not the other way around. When applied responsibly, AI can enhance both enterprise performance and worker well-being.

ILO experts and SCORE facilitators agreed that digital transformation must uphold the principles of decent work, including fairness, safety, inclusivity, and respect for human dignity. By improving business efficiency, promoting lifelong learning, and fostering innovation, AI can help SMEs become drivers of inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Towards a Digitally Inclusive Future for SMEs

The webinar concluded that integrating AI into SME operations requires more than technical adoption — it demands policy support, ethical frameworks, and capacity building. Collaboration among governments, training institutions, and the private sector will be vital in ensuring that AI empowers workers rather than marginalising them.

Through programmes like SCORE, the ILO continues to champion a future where digital technologies complement human capabilities, drive responsible enterprise growth, and contribute to more equitable and resilient economies.