The imperative to protect employees has never been more critical nor more challenging for organisations with international exposure. In the past five years, we have seen the resurgence of conflict in Europe and the Middle East, political crises affecting some of the most developed economies, natural disasters delivering catastrophic global damage, a global pandemic subsiding, and persistent and evolving cyber threats. These events occur with increasing frequency, presenting uncertainty and complexity that can stymie investment for organisations that are not confident or resourced to manage these risks.
This 'Pandora’s Box' of events has demonstrated how rapidly organisational capability can be degraded when employees are directly impacted or if they feel unsupported in the face of danger and uncertainty.
Why Does Duty of Care Matter?
In today’s volatile global landscape, ‘Duty of Care’ matters because the stakes are high: from legal exposure under occupational health and safety laws to the financial impact of failed international assignments, often exceeding $1 million USD.1 But beyond risk mitigation, Duty of Care can be a strategic lever. It drives employee trust, satisfaction, and retention, and ensures operational continuity in the face of disruption. As expectations rise and technology advances, embedding Duty of Care into your organisational DNA, augmented by AI, is essential to protecting people and performance at scale.
Employees' expectations of Duty of Care have evolved in recent years to include a focus on personal wellbeing. In 2025, a global professional services firm faced internal pressure from staff to expand its mental health support after an internal survey revealed that over 40% of employees felt their wellbeing was not adequately prioritized. The feedback led to the launch of a new AI-enhanced wellbeing platform offering personalized mental health resources, proactive burnout detection, and confidential counselling access. This initiative improved engagement scores and reinforced the message that Duty of Care extends beyond physical safety; it includes emotional and psychological support, and employees are increasingly vocal in demanding it.1
Digital Safety as a Duty of Care Priority
The Duty of Care practices and policies we see in organisations are being transformed by AI, with the most effective models integrating AI into refined workflows, leveraging AI to inform and accelerate human decision-making. This shift is profound: AI is no longer a distant tool; it is becoming a trusted advisor, positioned at the elbow of every decision-maker.
For example, companies across critical infrastructure sectors have adopted Darktrace’s AI-driven “Enterprise Immune System", including energy and logistics, to autonomously detect and neutralize cyber threats in real time. By learning the regular ‘pattern of life’ for every user and device, the system can flag subtle anomalies that might indicate a breach, enabling faster, more targeted responses.2 This adaptive, AI-enhanced cybersecurity is becoming essential to modern Duty of Care, protecting physical wellbeing and digital safety. However, as these systems grow more sophisticated, organisations must also navigate the legal and ethical implications of monitoring employee behavior and handling sensitive data. Ensuring transparency, compliance with data protection regulations, and clear communication with staff will be critical to maintaining trust while leveraging AI for security.
Personalized Care at Global Scale
AI is often misunderstood as a replacement for human judgment. However, in the context of Duty of Care, its power lies in support, not substitution.
In 2024, Community Care Management Partners (CCMP) used AI-driven predictive analytics to transform how they support vulnerable individuals. By analyzing historical health data, their system identified clients at high risk of emergency room (ER) visits, often before symptoms escalated. This allowed care managers to intervene early, resulting in a 64% reduction in ER visits.3
This kind of “AI at the elbow” capability redefines Duty of Care, not by replacing human insight, but by augmenting it. The shift from reactive response to predictive planning enables professionals to act faster, with greater confidence, and with more personalized care.
Setting a New Standard: As Technology Evolves, so do Expectations
In 2025, viewing Duty of Care through a legal compliance lens means more than avoiding penalties. It means earning trust, demonstrating accountability, and strengthening organizational resilience. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in Duty of Care programs, organizations must navigate an increasingly complex legal landscape, particularly in relation to emerging AI regulation and evolving data protection frameworks. Employees expect transparency, fairness, and the responsible use of technology. Organizations that meet these expectations and proactively engage with legal and ethical complexities while driving efficiencies through AI will reduce risk and position themselves as trusted employers in a rapidly changing world.
McKinsey’s 2025 report on the state of AI illustrates its rapid uptake across large corporations and the competitive drivers that will shape stakeholders' expectations in the years ahead. The report highlights how the adoption of AI in support of Governance, Risk and Compliance programs is the most centralized of all corporate functions. Centralization infers more rapid deployment, standardization and greater return on investment.4 Organizations that lead on AI-integrated Duty of Care will benefit in three core ways:
- Enhanced resilience and faster recovery.
- Increased workforce trust and retention.
- Stronger compliance and operational continuity across borders.
How International SOS Can Help
As organisations navigate the evolving landscape of Duty of Care in 2025, the need for integrated, intelligent support has never been greater. We help businesses meet this challenge by combining on-the-ground expertise with innovative technologies to deliver proactive, personalized care at scale and act as the seamless “elbow” that guides and protects your people. From AI-enhanced health and security insights to compliance guidance and operational support, we enable organizations to protect their people, physically, mentally, and digitally, wherever they are in the world.
Whether you are looking to strengthen resilience, meet rising employee expectations, or align with emerging legal frameworks, International SOS provides the tools, intelligence, and human expertise to turn Duty of Care from a policy into a lived reality.
- https://www.workplaceoptions.com/blog/fulfilling-employers-duty-of-care/
- https://digitaldefynd.com/IQ/agentic-ai-in-cybersecurity-case-studies/
- https://radicle-health.com/blog/ai-human-services-improving-care-not-replacing-jobs/
- https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai
The information provided herein is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, clinical, or professional advice. International SOS makes no representation or warranty as to the completeness or accuracy of predictive outcomes described.
