Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming labour markets worldwide. In the Global South, however, these changes are unfolding unevenly, shaped by labour markets defined by high levels of informality, uneven social protection, and large skills gaps. Against this backdrop, the 66th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) hosted a panel titled “The Global South at an AI Crossroads: Labour Market Transitions Across Africa, Asia, and Latin America” on Monday, 19 January 2026, at Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, Pune. 
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming labour markets worldwide. In the Global South, however, these changes are unfolding unevenly, shaped by labour markets defined by high levels of informality, uneven social protection, and large skills gaps. Against this backdrop, the 66th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) hosted a panel titled “The Global South at an AI Crossroads: Labour Market Transitions Across Africa, Asia, and Latin America” on Monday, 19 January 2026, at Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, Pune. 
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to transform the world of work, its impacts in the Global South present urgent and unique challenges. Unlike advanced economies with formal labour markets and stronger safety nets, many countries in the Global South face high levels of informality, limited social protection, and unequal access to skills and digital infrastructure. These issues were explored at “Securing Labour Justice in the Age of AI: A Global South Policy Dialogue,” a pre-summit event held on 15 January 2026 in New Delhi as part of the lead-up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026.