Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and International Human Rights Law

Authors

  • Fatima Roumate Public Law Department Agdal, Mohammed V University, Rabat

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/irie422

Keywords:

Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law

Abstract

The ethics of artificial intelligence is the response to a new dilemma that demands international society to provide a legal response to the many ethical challenges artificial intelligence creates. COVID-19 accelerates the use of AI in all countries and all fields. The pandemic is accelerating the transition to a society that is increasingly based on the use of, and reliance on, AI, and this also enhances the threats and creates new risks related to human rights. Artificial Intelligence (AI) influences human rights and international humanitarian law. This paper addresses international mechanisms and ethics as new rules which can ensure the protection of human rights in the age of AI. Two arguments are discussed in this study. Considering the ubiquitous and global reach of AI, the challenges it imposes requires an international legal oversight, a requirement that highlights the importance of ethical frameworks. In conclusion, the paper emphasizes how optimal action is needed to protect human rights in the age of AI. Rethinking international law and human rights and enhancing the ethical frameworks have thus become obligatory rather than a choice.

References

Abhivardhan. (2018). “The Wider Realm to Artificial Intelligence in International Law” SSRN. Retrieved from: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3172280.

Access Now. (2018). “Human Rights in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Retrieved from: www.accessnow.org/cms/assets/uploads/2018/11/AI-and HumanRights.pdf.

African Union. (2019). “African Digital Transformation Strategy, and African Union Communication and Advocacy Strategy among Major AU Initiatives in the Final Declaration of STCCICT3.” African Union, African Union. Retrieved from: au.int/en/pressreleases/20191026/african-digital-transformation-strategy-and-african-union-communication-and.

AI HELEG. (2018). "Draft Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI ". European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI. Retrieved from: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/draft-ethics-guidelines-trustworthy-ai

Burri, T. (2017). “International Law and Artificial Intelligence”. German Yearbook of International Law 2017 (vol. 60), Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, 2019, pp. 91-108. Retrieved from:

SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3060191 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3060191

Brundage, M., Avin, S., Clark, J., Toner, H., Eckersley, P., Garfinkel, B., Dafoe, A., Scharre, P., Zeitzoff, T., Filar, B., Anderson, H., Roff, H., Allen, G. C., Steinhardt, J., Flynn, hÉigeartaigh, S. Ó., Beard, S., Belfield, Farquhar, S. & Amodei, D. (2018). “The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence: Forecasting, Prevention, and Mitigation”. Retrieved from: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1802/1802.07228.pdf

Cole, S. (2018). “Deep Voice’ Software Can Clone Anyone's Voice With Just 3.7 Seconds of Audio, Using snippets of voices, Baidu's ‘Deep Voice’ can generate new speech, accents, and tones”, Vice channel. Retrieved from

Council of Europe. (2019). 1353rd meeting, Ad hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI). Retrieved from: https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectId=09000016809737a1

Council of Europe (2020). Chart of signatures and ratifications of Treaty 185, Convention on Cybercrime. Retrieved from: https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/ /conventions/treaty/185/signatures?p_auth=2QnPIt18

Council of Europe. (2001). Convention on Cybercrime (CETS No.185). Retrieved from https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/185

Davison, N. (2016). “A legal perspective: Autonomous weapon systems under international humanitarian law, Perspectives on Lethal Autonomous weapon systems”, Legal Division International Committee of the Red Cross, UNODA. Occasional Papers, No. 30. PP 5-18. Retrieved from:

https://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B8954/(httpAssets)/6866E44ADB996042C12581D400630B9A/$file/op30.pdf

European Commission. (2018). “DRAFT Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI. European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI”. Retrieved from: ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/draft-ethics-guidelines-trustworthy-ai.

European Parliament. (2000). “Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, (2000/C 364/01)” Official Journal of the European Communities, C 364/1. Retrieved from: www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf.

European Union. (2017). “Consolidation version of the treaty on European Union”. Official Journal of the European Union, C 326/17. Retrieved from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:2bf140bf-a3f8-4ab2-b506 fd71826e6da6.0023.02/DOC_1&format=PDF

Goldstein, A. (2013). "First Things First: The Pressing Danger of Crisis Instability in U.S.-China Relations," International Security 37 (no. 4), 49-89. Retrieved from: https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/ISEC_a_00114

Greenberg, A. (2015). Hackers remotely kill a Jeep on the highway—with me in it. Wired”. Retrieved from: https://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway

G7. (2018). “Charlevoix Common Vision for the Future of Artificial Intelligence”. Retrieved from http://www.g7.utoronto.ca/summit/2018charlevoix/ai-commitment.html

G20 Insights. (2010). “G20 AI Principles”. Retrieved from: https://www.g20-insights.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/G20-Japan-AI-Principles.pdf

Human Rights Watch. (2012). “Losing Humanity: The Case Against Killer Robots”. Retrieved from: https://www.hrw.org/report/2012/11/19/losing-humanity/case-against-killer-robots

Internet Rights & Principles Coalition. (2019). “The Charter of Human Rights and Principles for the Internet”. Seventh Edition. Retrieved from: https://internetrightsandprinciples.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/IRP_booklet_Eng_7ed_Nov2019.pdf

Leys, N. (2018). “Autonomous weapon systems, and international crises. Strategic Studies Quarterly”,12 (1), 48–73. Retrieved from: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/SSQ/documents/Volume-12_Issue-1/Leys.pdf

Matthew, Waxman and Kenneth, Anderson. (2020). "Law and ethics for autonomous weapon systems: Why a ban won’t work and how the laws of war can." The Hoover Institution Jean Perkins Task Force on National Security & Law Essay. Retrieved from: https://media.hoover.org/sites/default/files/documents/Anderson-Waxman_LawAndEthics_r2_FINAL.pdf

OECD. (2020). “OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19), Using Artificial Intelligence to Help Combat COVID-19.” Retrieved from: oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/using-artificial-intelligence-to-help-combat-covid-19-ae4c5c21.

OECD. (2019). “OECD principles on AI”. Retrieved from: http://www.oecd.org/going-digital/ai/principles/

OECD. (2020). “OECD AI Policy Observatory”. Retrieved from: https://www.oecd.org/going-digital/ai/about-the-oecd-ai-policy-observatory.pdf

Pratt, G.A. (2015). “Is a Cambrian Explosion Coming for Robotics?” Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 51–60, Retrieved from: www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.29.3.51.

https://www.vice.com/en_asia/article/3k799k/deep-voice-software-can-clone-anyones-voice-with-just-37-seconds-of-audio

Shahbaz, A., & Funk, A. (2020). The pandemic is fueling digital repression worldwide. Retrieved from https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2020/pandemics-digital-shadow

Smith, B.R. (2020). “Trump’s top diplomat claims China not sharing Covid-19 sample with world scientists: Mike Pompeo also accuses China of waiting a month before reporting human-to-human spread”. The Telegraph. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/22/trumps-top-diplomat-claims-china-not-sharing-covid-19-sample

Symanovich, S. (2019). “How does facial recognition work?”. Retrieved from: https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-iot-how-facial-recognition-software-works.html

The New Arab (2020). Tunisia arrests young woman who made up fake Quran verses about coronavirus”. Retrieved from: http//english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/5/6/tunisia-arrests-young-woman-for-fake-coronavirus-quran-verses

The Guardian (2020). “Victorian Bar criticizes arrest of a pregnant woman for Facebook lockdown protest post as 'disproportionate'”. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/03/victoria-police-arrested-pregnant-woman-facebook-post-zoe-buhler-australia-warn-lockdown-protesters

UNESCO. (2020). “Draft Text for the Recommendation on Ethics of Artificial Intelligence”. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373434

UNESCO. (2019). “Preliminary study on the technical and legal aspects relating to the desirability of a standard-setting instrument on the ethics of artificial intelligence”. Extended Working Group on Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST). 2019, March 21. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000367422

UNESCO. (2020). “Protecting Freedom of Expression during the COVID-19 crisis: UNESCO issues Guidelines for Judicial Operators”. Part 2. Retrieved fromhttps://en.unesco.org/news/protecting-freedom-expression-during-covid-19-crisis-unesco-issues-guidelines-judicial.

United Nations. (1945). “The Charter of the United Nations”, Signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/charter-united-nations/

United Nations. (1948). “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, General Assembly resolution 217 A, Paris on 10 December 1948, Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/index.html

United Nations. (1977). “Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and Relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I)”, of 8 June 1977.Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.34_AP-I-EN.pdf

Wolfgang, M., Lukic, V., Sander, A., Martin, J., & Küpper, D. (2017). “Gaining Robotics Advantage”. Boston Consulting Group, June 14. Retrieved from: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2017/strategy-technology-digital-gaining-robotics-advantage

World Health Organization. (2020). ”Ethical considerations to guide the use of digital proximity tracking technologies for COVID-19 contact tracing”. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Ethics_Contact_tracing_apps-2020.1

Yan, X., & Ziang, F. (2020). “10 technology trends to watch in the COVID-19 pandemic”. World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/10-technology-trends-coronavirus-covid19-pandemic-robotics-telehealth/

Downloads

Published

2021-03-30

How to Cite

Roumate, Fatima. 2021. “Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and International Human Rights Law”. The International Review of Information Ethics 29 (March). Edmonton, Canada. https://doi.org/10.29173/irie422.