Session
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: This session will come in two parts 1) discussing salient human rights risks posed by AI systems to marginalized populations and take stock of the steps that governments, industry, and civil society have taken to address them, 2) discussing how these human rights risks to marginalized populations – and the steps that should be taken to address them – differ across cultural, geographic, and economic contexts, such as in developing countries. The 90 minute duration will enable a fruitful and in-depth discussion, and the rountable layout will enable strong audience engagement.
While AI technologies promise significant benefits, the human rights risks they pose too often fall disproportionately on marginalized populations, such as women and girls in all their diversity, persons with disabilities, members of marginalized racial, ethnic, religious, or linguistic groups, Indigenous peoples, LGBTQI+ persons, children, and human rights defenders. For example, AI systems are often used to generate harassing and harmful “deepfakes” or spread disinformation that specifically targets women and human rights defenders; AI systems can perpetuate patterns of bias found in their training data, reinforcing historical patterns of discrimination faced by groups defined by traits such as gender, geography, race, or caste; and AI tools enable advances in surveillance technologies that are too often used to interfere with rights to peaceful assembly or freedom of association, especially by marginalized populations, and have been used for targeting by security forces with harmful effects for civilians and privacy rights.
The first portion of the panel will discuss salient human rights risks posed by AI systems to marginalized populations and take stock of the steps that governments, industry, and civil society have taken to address them. While the panel will discuss a broad range of risks from government and private sector AI activities, a particular focus will be the risks to marginalized populations posed by misuse of AI-powered tools for repressive means.
The second portion of the panel will discuss how these human rights risks to marginalized populations – and the steps that should be taken to address them – differ across cultural, geographic, and economic contexts, such as in developing countries. This portion of the panel will discuss the unique human rights challenges and opportunities AI technologies present to marginalized populations in various global contexts, actions that AI developers can take to become more aware of these unique risks and opportunities, and ways in which governments can support context-specific AI design, development, deployment, and use.
The panel would align with IGF’s theme of “advancing human rights and inclusion in the digital age” (“discussions about how to empower all people and drive genuine inclusion of all communities in shaping its development is vital”).
The in-person and online moderator will ensure the smooth participation of online speakers and attendees, and the session will be designed to welcome question from both on-site and online participants. The Support Unit present at the IGF and those connecting remotely will be responsible for managing this, and exploring any additional tools integrated in Zoom or Webex to enhance engagement through reactions, comments, and interventions.
Freedom Online Coalition
Niki Masghati, United States Department of State, Government, WEOG
Lea Kaspar / Nicholas Powell / Nusa Tomic / Zora Gouhary - Freedom Online Coalition Support Unit (intergovernmental organisation - secretariat housed in Global Partners Digital), WEOG
Allison Peters, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Government, United States
Pedro Fernandes Lopes, Cabo Verde Digital Minister, Government, Cabo Verde
Yasmin Green, CEO Google Jigsaw, Private Sector, United States
Nighat Dad, Digital Rights Foundation, Civil Society, Pakistan
Steve Feldstein, Carnegie Endowment, Academia, United States
Lea Kaspar
Nicholas Powell
Nicholas Powell
5.b
16.3
16.6
16.7
16.8
16.b
17.16
17.17
17.6
17.7
17.9
Targets: This session aims to discuss salient human rights risks posed by AI systems to marginalized populations, and foster dialogue to explore both international and multistakeholder coordination and collaboration efforts to address such risks. The discussion will also identify how these human rights risks to marginalized populations – and the steps that should be taken to address them – differ across cultural, geographic, and economic contexts, such as in developing countries, to ensure an inclusive discussion which highlights a diverse range of perspectives. The session will place a spotlight on the action that AI developers can take, and ways in which governments can support context-specific AI design, development, deployment, and use, further linking to the potential of AI technologies to strengthen and enable progress towards achieving the SDGs.