Artificial intelligence (AI) is bound to enable
innovation in the decades to come, so much
so that some say it has become the new
electricity.1 However, if that truly is the case,
then policymakers, business and civil society
must understand what the opportunities
and challenges are before they turn the
switch on. AI enthusiasts ...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is bound to enable
innovation in the decades to come, so much
so that some say it has become the new
electricity.1 However, if that truly is the case,
then policymakers, business and civil society
must understand what the opportunities
and challenges are before they turn the
switch on. AI enthusiasts forecast that
such technologies could improve societal
well-being, increase productivity and even
provide solutions for global climate and
health crises. AI could also help fight human
rights abuses. Nonetheless, AI presents a
variety of challenges that can profoundly
affect the respect for and protection of
human rights.
• Recently, a profusion of initiatives from
a variety of actors spanning from the
technology industry to international and
regional organizations, academia and
civil society, have focused on establishing
ethical frameworks for the design and
implementation of AI solutions. While these
valuable initiatives propose to identify
core ethical principles applicable to AI,
ethics is only one aspect to be taken into
consideration. International Human Rights
Law (IHRL) is equally, if not more important.
• Stakeholders from the private and public
sectors, international organizations and civil
society should move beyond the calls for
more regulation of AI. Regulation is certainly
needed, in particular concerning data
protection and privacy. Nonetheless, new
models of governance, placed alongside
regulatory frameworks and existing human
rights instruments, are also needed. This
research brief identifies two additional
avenues to regulation: public procurement
and standardization.