Artificial intelligence is increasingly influencing decisions in the workplace, from identifying risks and analysing incidents to recommending actions that could affect workers' safety. But what happens when the technology makes a mistake? And who is accountable when the consequences are serious?

In the final episode of this special IOSH Podcast series, sponsored by safety and sustainability software provider EcoOnline, IOSH president Richard Bate is joined once again by AI advocate Cam Stevens and technology critic Cory Doctorow to explore the questions that become impossible to ignore as AI takes on a greater role in workplace safety.

Together, they debate responsibility, accountability and trust in an age of machine-assisted decision-making. From fatal incidents and system failures to concerns about job displacement and professional judgement, the discussion examines whether organisations can keep pace with the rapid development of AI and what safeguards are needed when technology becomes part of critical safety decisions.

The episode also looks ahead to the future of the profession, asking what skills safety and health professionals will need in an AI-enabled world, which decisions should always remain in human hands, and whether technology has the potential to make work more human – or less.

As the series concludes, one question sits at the heart of the conversation: when AI gets it wrong, who takes responsibility?