Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights: threat or opportunity?

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It is now widely agreed that artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay. And this disruptive technology is not just about advantages, but also about risks . Its potential allows us to foresee a role of great importance in the present and future of society. But is there any relationship between artificial intelligence and human rights? That is exactly what we are going to find out.

The impact of technology on Human Rights
Technology, in itself, is neutral, in the sense that it is neither good nor bad. Its goodness or badness lies in the use to which it is put and in who and what uses it.

Regarding the interconnection between AI and human rights, the then Secretary General of Amnesty International, Salil Shetty, at the 2016 Web Summit , stated that technology has boosted knowledge of what human jamaica whatsapp number database are, leading people to demand that they be respected. At the same time, it has allowed companies and organizations to become more aware of this issue. However, he did not fail to warn that the lack of privacy, often associated with technology, can be the difference between life and death in countries where attacks and violations of human rights are more severe and frequent.

What are human rights?
Let us then recall the definition of human rights. According to the definition proposed by the United Nations , "human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion or any other status.”

Among the human rights provided for in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( UDHR ), in the employment context, we could highlight, "the right to work , to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment " – (see article 23, no. 1).

It is true that work is inseparably linked to human dignity, presupposes the full participation of the individual in society and should contribute to his or her personal fulfilment. The right to work aims to ensure that no one is excluded from the world of work by dealing predominantly with access to work, but also including measures of protection against arbitrary and unfair forms of dismissal.

Artificial Intelligence and its impact on employability: risk or opportunity?
The issue of the impact of AI on employability and the definition of new professions or forms of work is one of the hot topics when talking about AI, human rights, the evolution of the labor market and economic systems.

Thus, the question that is often attempted to be answered is: In what way does AI jeopardize (or not) human rights, namely the right to social security, the right to work, the right to rest and leisure ?

On the one hand, the claim that AI mechanisms pose risks to employability is becoming widespread. There is a widespread belief that AI systems will replace the human workforce on a large scale and cause massive unemployment in certain areas/industries and even the extinction or disappearance of certain professions.

According to a study by Dell Technologies , 82% of business leaders expect that in the next five years their workforces (humans and machines) will work in fully integrated teams. Also, several articles shared by different media outlets, citing a study by Ernest & Young , announce that "by 2025 one in three jobs should be replaced by smart technology”.

On the other hand, there is the idea of ​​increasing optimization that AI will bring to the world of work, removing repetitive and standardizable tasks that are redundant and do not add value, leaving humans with more space for creativity and time to reconcile professional and personal life. Thus, given the current stage of AI and the prospects for its evolution in the coming decades, the unavoidable question arises: could AI be one of the main forces limiting the implementation of the right to work or could it be a driver of new areas of work?

In response to these questions, and from an enthusiastic perspective, AI is recognized as the key to maximum evolution and development that guides society towards the best achievements, not only technological, but also human, achieving more free time for professional investment, for more creative tasks, but also investment in personal life.

It could be said that if AI makes monotonous and repetitive work disappear from everyday life, then that time will be available to be used in something that brings more value to companies and their employees.

On the other hand, from a perspective more adverse to automation and advances through AI, it is argued that robotization and the use of artificial intelligence will have harmful effects on workers, because they could remove or empty the functional scope of many of the professions and tasks that we know today, ultimately generating unemployment.

Although many defend an apocalyptic vision regarding AI in the world of work, being considered a weapon of mass destruction of employability, it is important to look at this phenomenon as an opportunity to create new jobs, new visions of the world and great opportunities for evolution.

We would say that the scenario may not be as catastrophic as some claim, but the impact of this phenomenon will not be slight either. Therefore, it is important to prepare and anticipate the undesirable consequences and solutions so that individually, collectively and institutionally we can ensure that the worst-case scenario does not come to pass and so that the impact of this transformation on human rights does not imply a setback in an area where progress has been so slow. "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst: that is the rule", says Fernando Pessoa.

There are several ways to try to reduce the risks and consequences of the use and recourse to AI, both in terms of employability and social issues and the impact on human rights, but also in terms of more generic and transversal issues.