UN Special Rapporteur explores AI implications for human rights

In a report submitted to the UN General Assembly in August 2018, but made publicly available in October, the UN Special Rapporteur for the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, analysed the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on human rights. The report pays particular attention to the right to freedom of opinion, the right to freedom of expression, the right to privacy, the obligation of non-discrimination, and the right to an effective remedy, and how AI could challenge these rights and principles. Among the recommendations outlined in the report, Kaye suggests that states should ensure that AI is developed in keeping with human rights standards, and that any state efforts to develop policies and regulations in the field of AI should ensure consideration of human rights concerns. Companies are also advised that their efforts to formulate guidelines or codes on ethical implications of AI should be grounded in human rights principles. Moreover, human rights impact assessments and public consultations should be carried out during the design and deployment of AI systems, and AI code should be fully auditable.