Artificial Intelligence Systems and Threats to Human Rights

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) systems raises several concerns regarding threats to protecting human rights. The panel will be dedicated to diagnosing these threats and developing strategies, international regulatory frameworks, and ethical standards for such systems to counteract these dangers. The right to employment is listed first among the human rights that may be threatened due to these processes. It is predicted that implementing AI will lead to a reduction or even elimination of jobs in sectors where machines can replace human labour. This, in turn, may lead to an increase in social inequalities. Another anticipated threat could be various forms of discrimination and inequality. It is pointed out that AI may reinforce existing biases and discrimination by favouring certain social groups at the expense of others. Another threat attributed to AI is the limitation of individual autonomy through decision-making on behalf of individuals or influencing their choices, such as in online recommendation systems that can steer users towards specific products, services, or information, limiting their freedom of choice. AI used in medicine may influence decisions regarding treatment, which may have consequences for patients' rights to self-determination. Another area of human rights threat may be the violation of privacy when AI is used to collect, analyse, and process large amounts of personal data. Facial recognition, location tracking, and online behaviour analysis can be used for government and corporate surveillance. Freedom of speech may also be at risk due to AI, mainly through the use of AI in moderating online content, which could lead to unjustified censorship.
Furthermore, AI can be used to create disinformation (e.g., deepfakes), which can distort public debate and undermine trust in information, indirectly affecting freedom of speech. Threats to human rights can also be seen in the field of education. The application of artificial intelligence may also pose severe threats to democratic systems, including manipulation of the electoral process, further social polarisation, manipulation of information, and inequalities in access to technology. These are just some of the areas of human rights threats related to the development of AI systems that will be discussed during the panel.