The 4th OEIAC seminar series, entitled “Ethics, Social Impact and Legal Compliance”, looks at how ethical considerations often shape laws and how the law can also influence ethical considerations, generally with the aim of promoting social welfare and protecting people’s rights.However, situations can arise where legal standards and ethical considerations conflict, and in these cases an analysis of the needs of stakeholders is required, as ethical principles and social impact assessments often go beyond legal requirements to address the needs and expectations of society.A clear example of this is the European Union’s recently adopted Artificial Intelligence Act, known as the AI Act, which is intended to provide not only a framework for assessing and protecting against the risks of AI, but also an instrument for guaranteeing individual rights, community welfare, social values and environmental protection.
At present, however, the AI Act is considered to be insufficiently broad and people-focused, as it does not provide enough protection for fundamental rights such as privacy, equality and non-discrimination.Although the regulations include fundamental rights impact assessments, there are still doubts about the true scope of these assessments, including whether those using AI systems will only have to indicate what measures will be taken if risks materialise.There is also no requirement to involve stakeholders, such as civil society and those affected by AI, in the assessment process.This means that civil society organisations will not have a direct and legally binding way to contribute to impact assessments.The right to be informed about individual decision-making processes is essential, especially for AI systems that are considered high risk. This raises questions about access to information and explanations from those using AI systems.This aspect is regarded as particularly relevant given the absence of considerations such as the right to the representation of natural persons or the capacity of the organisations of public interest for lodging complaints with the controlling bodies.Finally, the AI Act is only a first step in addressing the environmental impact of AI, despite growing concerns about the serious environmental implications of the exponential use of AI systems.
To provide some answers and, of course, to raise more questions about the complex interplay between ethics, law and technology, the OEIAC is launching a new series of knowledge transfer seminars with guests from near and far who are working on and promoting the ethical and responsible use of AI.
The OEIAC Seminar Cycle starts on Wednesday, 29 May, and will run until 15 November, the day of its closing ceremony.This cycle is aimed at anybody who is interested in AI in general and in its ethical and responsible uses in particular, as well as from the public and private sector. All seminars will be free.
To receive alerts, more details and the link to all the seminars (streamed via the University of Girona’s YouTube channel), simply fill in this registration form.
For logistical reasons, we will also ask you to indicate whether you will be attending the opening and closing lectures, which will be held at the University of Girona.
For more information, please contact us by email at suport.oeiac@udg.edu.