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24 - Human Rights-Based Approach to AI and Algorithms

Concerning Welfare Technologies

from Part V - Constitutional Law, Human Rights, and Algorithms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2020

Woodrow Barfield
Affiliation:
University of Washington
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Summary

Automated systems that process vast amounts of data about individuals and communities have become a transformative force within contemporary societies and institutions. Governments and businesses, which adopt and develop new techniques of collecting and analyzing information, rely on algorithms in the decision-making process in various sectors: like banking, political marketing, health, and criminal justice. One of the early adopters of the automated systems are also welfare agencies responsible for the distribution of welfare benefits and management of social policies. These new ways of using technology highlight efficiency, standardization, and resource optimization as benefits. However, the debate about artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms should not be limited to questions about its technical capabilities and functionalities. So too is the creation and implementation of technological innovations a significant normative and ethical challenge for our society. The decision to process data and use certain algorithms is structured and motivated by specific political and economic factors. Therefore, just as argued by Winner, technical artifacts pose political qualities and are far from being neutral.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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