Session
Organizer 1: Melody Musoni, ECDPM
Organizer 2: Eduardo Kapapelo , European Centre for Development Policy Management
Speaker 1: Armando José Manzueta Peña, Government, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Giuseppe Claudio Cicu, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Lufuno T Tshikalange, Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 4: H. Titilola Olojede, Government, African Group
Melody Musoni, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Eduardo Kapapelo , Civil Society, African Group
Melody Musoni, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: Our session is promoting dialogue and discussion and a roundtable session will facilitate more engagement with the participants. There will not be any presentations but more of a discussion. 90 minutes is enough time to cover the three regions that the speakers represent and have more time for meaningful discussion and contributions from the participants.
1. How can policymakers and regulators ensure that AI governance frameworks prevent the manipulation of human behaviour, considering the pervasive integration of AI across all sectors?
2. In advocating for a human-rights centred approach to AI governance, what specific ethical principles and human rights considerations should be emphasised?
3. What challenges and opportunities arise in implementing ethical and responsible AI use practices and how are governments addressing these?
What will participants gain from attending this session? AI is a new technology that all governments are trying to understand and govern. Equally, AI enabled deceptive practices are emerging trends that need a special focus and discussion. The participants will be able to get insight into how AI is being used to manipulate human beings and influence their decision-making processes. The panellists will share experiences on how their respective regions and / or governments are addressing these emerging technological trends citing the challenges that exist and proposing recommendations on how to deal with deceptive AI.
Description:
In our modern world, technologies have become so ingrained in daily life that they no longer exist as separate entities but rather as integrated components of society. We use several technologies to efficiently carry out our daily tasks, from online shopping, participating in political debates on digital platforms to using generative AI to create content. The possibilities are endless. As the saying goes, “there is an App for that”. What is concerning is the growing trend of deceptive practices in most digital platforms and applications. A study by the EU Consumer Protection Cooperation Network showed that 40% of online shopping websites surveyed rely on manipulative practices. As AI continues to be adopted and integrated, there is an increase in the use of deceptive design practices and dark patterns. These manipulative practices raise legitimate concerns beyond privacy. There is a real danger that dark patterns can influence behaviours in a negative or harmful way as well as undermine the autonomy of humans.
As discussions around AI governance take centre stage, it is paramount to prioritise humanity over technology and this starts with advocating for a human-centred and human rights-based approach to AI governance. There is a need to think about the interventions which must be put in place to prohibit the deployment of subliminal techniques beyond a person’s consciousness to distort their behaviour in a manner that causes physical or psychological harm. In this panel discussion, we will explore the important AI ethical principles and regulations which are needed to advance human rights and values and address technological manipulation on human behaviour within the context of dark patterns and deceptive design practices. The panel session aims to promote policy dialogue on AI governance from an ethical perspective, highlighting the importance of protecting consumer rights, children’s rights and human rights.
Following this panel discussion, we will prepare a policy brief proposing the types of regulatory and policy interventions needed to prevent AI technologies from being used to manipulate human behaviour. The policy brief will be published on an open access platform and publicly shared with the IGF community.
Hybrid Format: To organise a successful hybrid discussion, the moderator and two speakers will be onsite. We will also have the other two speakers join remotely and have arranged for another online moderator to manage the online interventions.