Antonio Aloisi, assistant professor at IE Law School, ‘MSCA Fellow of the Week’

Antonio Aloisi, assistant professor of European and Comparative Labour Law at IE Law School, has been appointed as Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Fellow of the Week.

Aloisi is a member of the the Lawtomation Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence -created with the mission of promoting research and teaching on Artificial Intelligence and algorithms, and the relationship of these emerging fields with EU law, contractual rules, workplace dynamics and constitutional values-. His research focuses on the impacts of innovation on labour regulation and social institutions.

In 2020, he was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fellowship. The EU-funded 'Boss Ex Machina’ project aimed at mapping practices of automated decision-making and assessing the adequacy of existing legal frameworks when it comes to enabling data-driven workplaces in which technologies are worker-centred.

The project focused on the notion of power within professional relationships, seeking to understand whether the widespread adoption of AI-based tools is intensifying the command-and-control prerogatives of management. The project gathered testimonies on how companies in the manufacturing, logistics, and services sectors are organising, monitoring, and recruiting their workforces. It explored the mutually reinforcing linkages between data protection, occupational safety and health, anti-discrimination and collective rights, as pragmatically exercised in an anticipatory and participatory manner.

“The MSCA fellowship has been a truly life-changing experience and given me the opportunity to focus my energies on cutting-edge research.”
Antonio Aloisi, assistant professor at IE Law School

Aloisi co-authored 'Your Boss is an Algorithm. Artificial Intelligence, Platform Work and Labour' (Hart Publishing 2022, with Valerio De Stefano), which serves as a compass for navigating advancements such as the gig economy, algorithmic management and digital surveillance.

Aloisi actively participates in outreach activities, ranging from conference attendance to involvement in cross-disciplinary initiatives to appearances on media outlets. He has been a visiting lecturer at several universities. His expertise is used to inform policymaking activities and advise international and local institutions and research centres. Antonio publishes blog posts on Social Europe, a landmark resource for lawyers, trade unions and business leaders.

The findings of some of his research streams are summarised in this video.

“The MSCA fellowship has been a truly life-changing experience and given me the opportunity to focus my energies on cutting-edge research. Moving beyond my field-specific “comfort zone”, I expanded my intellectual horizons by connecting labour-related matters with the fields of data protection and non-discrimination, and by experimenting with new methods. I hugely benefitted from a network of generous mentors who supported my research activities. The MSCA also broadened my management and methodological skills. Thanks to the programme offered by IE University, I developed interactive teaching techniques and designed an intriguing syllabus based on the project’s key topics. I am grateful for this extremely exciting journey and remain committed to further expanding on my findings”, says professor Aloisi.

About MSCA

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are the European Union’s flagship funding programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training of researchers. The MSCA help build Europe’s capacity for research and innovation by investing in the long-term careers of excellent researchers.