DGB Chair Yasmin Fahimi is concerned about the impending loss of jobs due to artificial intelligence (AI).

"It's certainly true that jobs in the IT sector, for example, are at risk due to AI, and to a significant extent," Fahimi told the business magazine Capital. "Surveys among entrepreneurs also show that they expect to significantly reduce jobs in the future. These are serious findings." Nevertheless, Fahimi stands by her statement made in 2023 that "we will not run out of work thanks to digitalization and AI."

"The questions we're asking ourselves are more: How is work changing? What quality of work will we have in the future? Do employees still have sufficient autonomy, or is work becoming increasingly simplified?" These questions are "a huge issue in companies; there's already a lot of uncertainty," said the union leader. She therefore hopes "that we can use AI to enhance work and fill gaps created by the shortage of skilled workers"; it's about automating activities where appropriate. "That's why the DGB's clear message is: Yes, we need AI and we want AI too – but it has to be organized together with the employees." Fahimi called for "new approaches with an expanded co-determination mechanism." However, from Fahimi's perspective, not enough companies are yet using AI: "We need to accelerate this. We shouldn't just drift along, but tackle this together with energy and foresight, because otherwise, not individual jobs will disappear, but entire companies will no longer exist." In her view, this is "the greater threat to the labor market." AI should therefore not be used primarily as a means of cost-cutting, demanded the DGB leader: "It shouldn't be about reducing personnel costs," but rather, it should be about "making business models more innovative." This is "the great opportunity that AI offers us."