Human Rights and Artificial Intelligence
In this track, we want to explore how the use of AI for state and private surveillance purposes challenges human rights, including non-discrimination, privacy, freedom of speech, freedom of association.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) enhances the surveillance capabilities of law enforcement authorities (LEAs) and security and intelligence agencies (SIAs) on the one hand, and of private entities on the other. Live Facial Recognition technology used on drone cameras to detect and recognise individuals in real time is a recent example of the increasing use of AI for surveillance.
State surveillance has always been accepted as part of the exercise of state sovereignty. Law enforcement authorities and security and intelligence agencies have been systematically using analytics for predictive policing, risk profiling, and pre-emptive surveillance.
However, advanced AI and machine-and deep learning algorithms enhance their surveillance capabilities and are used to capitalise on new technological possibilities for modelling, processing and exploiting large data sets in unique and unexplored ways, making determinations and predictions about (innocent) people, often without evidence of criminality.
Besides, AI-based technologies are far from infallible. At the same time, private online companies have become crucial for the exercise of citizen surveillance.
These ‘surveillance capitalists’ employ AI-based technologies in a similar way as the state in order to surveil citizens. In essence, state and private companies are two sides of the same coin that lead to phenomenal asymmetries of power. In addition, the boundaries between public and private entities are often blurry.
Track 'Human Rights and the Use of AI in Citizen Surveillance'
In this track, we want to explore how the use of AI for state and private surveillance purposes challenges human rights, including non-discrimination, privacy, freedom of speech, freedom of association.
We intend to look into the current safeguards in human rights protection against such surveillance and explore the circumstances under which these safeguards fall short in addressing the challenges raised by AI.
We welcome paper and panel proposals from scholars from various disciplines, including, but not limited to, law, STS, information and surveillance studies, etc.
Contact
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