Online Discussion - Machine Learning & Human Rights

Machine learning is a powerful tool that offers tremendous opportunities in the field of human rights. It can help to detect patterns of corruption to support advocacy, predict poverty to support policy change, and analyze evidence of human rights violations for transitional justice.

However, with the opportunities that machine learning provides, also significant human rights concerns are raised. Algorithmic biases have the potential to change the lives of individuals, as well as to reinforce and even accelerate existing social and economic inequalities. We face flawed facial recognition systems, misclassification of video documentation of war crimes as terrorist propaganda, racist chatbots and much more.

Our goal as human rights defenders is to distinguish between beneficial machine learning systems from harmful automated decision-making processes in order to minimize the risks and maximize the impact of new technologies in human rights work.

Together with other experts from the intersection of technology and human rights we exchanged experiences, visions and fears in an online discussion.

Access the full discussion at the New Tactics Website.