Description: This high-level roundtable considers a range of possible questions underlying the resurgent debate about how online services, now increasingly designed on the basis of artificial intelligence capabilities that can forgo the need for human intervention, can be more clearly aligned with international human rights law. The principle that human rights exist online as they do offline (IRPC Charter 2011, UNHRC 2014, Council of Europe 2014) has gained a wide consensus across stakeholder groups. R&D and recent legislation around the world have flagged the rise in interest by regulators, public institutions, and service providers to develop and deploy AI systems across a range of services, public and business. These policies are becoming prioirties in internet and data governance policy agends at the local governmental, national and international level. The session, invited speakers and those invited to present questions to the panelists, will consider the future relationship between AI and Human Rights law and norms in light of the question: how can current, and future AI designs better comply with international human rights standards? In other words, what are the regulatory, technical, and ethical considerations for "Human Rights AI By Design"? Other Questions considered may include: - Are AI tools the best way to respond to urgent requests to take down violent video content, and hate speech on social media platforms, e.g. debates around best responses after live streaming of the Christchurch terrorist attack? - Who should monitor these automated tools and systems and to who are they accountable, governments, internet service providers, an independent oversight body, national legislatures? - How can the use of AI to enforce copyright law be achieved in compliance with human rights standards e.g. what are the chilling effects of mandatory upload filters for copyrighted works given their implications for freedom of expression, education, principles of fair use? - How can governments and the technical community work together to ensure that the use of AI for elections, e.g. data-management, and personalized targeting that can comply with national, regional, and international human rights standards, e.g. in the case of data-driven campaigns, digitalized health-records, educational and local government data-gathering and storage? - AI tools and applications can enhance the life and opportunities of persons with disabilities, for multilingual meetings, aid in the monitoring of serious health conditions and other areas of personal well-being. How can these opportunities be safeguarded against error, or misuse e.g. in the case of mental health needs, privacy around medical care and other sorts of care such as during pregnancy? - How can existing human rights instruments be more fully incorporated into national (cyber)security policies based on bulk online surveillance or targeted monitoring? What compliance mechanisms need to be in place at the local, national, and international level of regulation around intelligence-gathering and law enforcement?
Expected Outcomes: The session will end with a 3-5 point, agreed-upon action plan as to how to bring AI R&D for future applications closer in touch with the legal and ethical requirements of international human rights instruments and their equivalents at the national and regional level of governance.