Artificial intelligence (AI) holds the potential to both benefit and harm human rights. It is important to develop and implement safeguards to protect human rights and ensure that AI is used in a responsible and ethical way. AI will make an important contribution to human development and the protection of human rights in tandem with current technology.
Nowadays, AI is being used to violate people's privacy and freedom of expression. AI can be used to collect and analyze vast amounts of personal data, which is used to track people's movements, monitor their online activities, and make inferences about their personal lives without their consent, violating their rights to privacy. AI can also be used to censor online content and suppress dissenting voices.
For example, between 2013 and 2018, Cambridge Analytica collated personal data of over 87 million Facebook accounts without their knowledge or concurrence for use in political advertising.
Also, social manipulation using AI is increasingly being used to manipulate human behaviour through misinformation or propaganda. This has a significant negative impact on democracy and social cohesion. And this problem is seen due to bad governance; they use this method for their own interests to control the people.
On the other hand, AI is also used to detect and prevent human trafficking, child labour, and many other forms of abuse that can lead to the identification of perpetrators. In the past, when AI was not used, it was difficult to identify criminals.
AI has played an important role in improving healthcare, revolutionizing healthcare by providing personalized diagnosis, treatment recommendations, and patient monitoring.
Difficult diseases are now easily identified through AI, resulting in faster solutions. Privacy and data rights through AI are being protected from unauthorized access. So that the right to privacy is not violated, it is part of ensuring human rights and protecting data.
At present, the spread of AI is increasing in the international arena, but due to the lack of any specific international law on AI, many states are misusing power for their own benefit as governments apply AI-powered surveillance systems to monitor citizens' activities, communications, and online behaviour on an unprecedented scale.
Through this extensive surveillance, the right to privacy, freedom of expression, and right of association are violated, as a result of which the human rights of the citizens are being violated.
We now know that the European Union (EU) will be regulated for the use and regulation of AI, which is to become the world's first comprehensive legal framework for AI.
In fact, the Act aims to address the risks of artificial intelligence through certain obligations and requirements that protect the health, safety, and fundamental rights of the citizens of the European Union, and the protection of rights can be ensured through the AI Act.
The EU's AI Act is taking an important step to ensure human rights, including their right to privacy. Considering the current situation, there needs to be a proper framework globally on AI to establish universal policies and standards. When AI international standards are regulated, states will not be able to misuse their power.
When an AI convention is created, it will protect individuals from privacy violations, bias, and discrimination arising from AI. AI will play a big role in our human development, so when it is regulated universally, as a result, everyone will be able to lead a better life in the future.
The emphasis is on transparency, accountability, fairness, and non-discrimination through these guidelines to ensure human rights protection in society. Public awareness of the potential risks and benefits of AI in society needs to be raised, and the promotion of international cooperation on AI governance is much needed.
Atiqur Rahaman is a freelance contributor.
