In their 2024 report on the state of global human rights, Amnesty International has highlighted the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society. The portrayal of AI reflects a complex dualism – as a wellspring of possibilities and a potential threat to human rights.
With AI-based technologies like OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, released in 2023, life in both professional and personal spheres has seen a marked change. These generative AI tools are capable of producing text with uncanny human-like quality. Amnesty International acknowledges that these advancements can bring about significant opportunities in various sectors. However, they caution that without proper regulation, AI could exacerbate human rights risks in areas like social benefits access, education, employment, labor rights, privacy, and internet security.
Existing AI systems can deepen societal inequalities and harm marginalized groups, impacting the distribution of public services, law enforcement, security, and immigration. A notable example is the New York Police Department’s use of technology to monitor the Black Lives Matter protests, which has faced increasing opposition from local policymakers.
The report also sheds light on an automated social welfare system introduced in Serbia, which has inadvertently led to the exclusion of thousands, affecting vulnerable communities such as the Roma and people with disabilities.
The practice of using AI-powered facial recognition in occupied Palestinian territories has been cited as contributing to the perpetuation of what Amnesty describes as an apartheid system by imposing movement restrictions.
Amnesty International is calling upon governments worldwide to enact stringent legislative and regulatory measures to mitigate the risks and prevent potential harms associated with AI technologies, stressing the need for a balanced approach that harnesses the benefits of AI while safeguarding human rights.
The complex dualism of AI in human rights presented by Amnesty International resonates with the broader conversation about technology’s impact on society. AI systems have the potential to revolutionize industries, create efficiency, and offer solutions previously unthinkable. Yet, they raise substantive issues of privacy, security, bias, and inequality that go to the heart of human rights concerns.
One of the most pressing concerns with AI is the perpetuation of bias and discrimination. AI systems are only as unbiased as the data fed into them, which often reflects historical and systemic inequities. For example, AI used in recruitment may perpetuate hiring discrimination if the training data reflects past biased hiring practices. The lack of diversity in tech only exacerbates these issues.
A key challenge in the deployment of AI is the right to privacy. AI technologies like facial recognition have sparked debates worldwide, with activists and civil society pushing back against indiscriminate surveillance. For example, the European Union has been considering regulations to address these concerns.
Another area of concern is the use of AI in law enforcement and military applications. Autonomous weapons, for instance, raise ethical questions about the loss of human oversight in life-and-death situations. This poses a significant challenge in maintaining international peace and human rights standards.
The advantages of AI include improvements in healthcare diagnostics, environmental protection through better data analysis, and increased accessibility of personalized information and education. However, the disadvantages, as highlighted by Amnesty International, revolve around the risks posed to human rights, including increased surveillance, reduction of individual autonomy, and the potential for exacerbating social inequalities.
Amnesty International’s call for governments to enact stringent legislation and regulation points to the need for global conversation and agreement on AI governance. Transparency, accountability, and inclusivity are key in designing technologies that serve humanity as a whole.
For those interested in further exploring the implications of AI on human rights, and Amnesty International’s advocacy work, you can visit their main website at Amnesty International.
The source of the article is from the blog trebujena.net