Bouayach Calls for AI Systems That Protect Human Rights, Advance Humanity

Doha – In a high-level address delivered remotely from Rabat on Tuesday, Amina Bouayach urged for artificial intelligence systems designed to safeguard human dignity and advance both humanity and rights.

The president of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) and head of Morocco’s National Human Rights Council (CNDH) participated in the opening session of the international conference in Doha, putting focus on the critical intersection of technological advancement and human rights protection.

The two-day event, titled “Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights: Opportunities, Risks, and Visions for a Better Future,” is organized by Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee in collaboration with several international, regional, and local institutions.

The conference seeks to explore AI’s dual nature as both a catalyst for progress and a potential challenge to human rights and democratic principles through collective discussions and specialized working groups.

“International human rights law, which I believe is one of our most important shared achievements, is not an obstacle to innovation,” Bouayach asserted from Rabat. “It is a global framework that can ensure access and benefit for all.”

She articulated that this framework, developed and refined through global consensus, serves not as a barrier but as a foundation for equitable technological advancement.

Technology reshapes our world

She contended that digital technologies, advanced systems, and artificial intelligence are fundamentally reshaping our world and deeply affecting daily life management.

“The digital space, advanced technologies, and artificial intelligence systems are reshaping our world and deeply impacting our lives and daily management,” Bouayach remarked. “It is a field that sparks discussions, initiatives, and concerns, confirming that today’s innovation is the fuel for smart services with quality and effectiveness.”

“Hardly a day goes by without a discovery here and a remarkable innovation there,” Bouayach observed. “This makes us deeply reflect and question what is possible today.” This rapid pace of development, she suggested, requires thoughtful consideration of its implications for society and human rights.

The GANHRI president warned about the growing disparities between countries in terms of technological access and benefits.

“The opportunities are vast, but so are the disparities,” she cautioned. “Between countries whose citizens benefit or may benefit in the near future from the momentum of this progress, and others still finding their way, while some remain, to this day, left behind this procession.”

Bouayach insisted that innovation is no longer optional in today’s world. “Innovation is no longer a choice today, but a need and an urgent necessity, and so are rights and freedoms,” she declared. “Respecting them is not optional… they are fundamental and non-negotiable.”

This dual imperative, she argued, requires balancing technological advancement with unwavering commitment to human rights principles.

For Bouayach, safely and collectively harnessing the benefits of AI and advanced technologies requires shared international governance.

“The collective, sound, and safe harvesting of the fruits of artificial intelligence systems and advanced technologies requires shared international governance, based on the effectiveness of respecting and enshrining rights,” she stated.

Rights institutions take action

She clarified that national human rights institutions do more than provide opinions and advice to governments and stakeholders regarding artificial intelligence uses and related policies.

“We also monitor its impact and implications on the effectiveness of rights,” Bouayach explained. “We receive and address complaints related to potential infringements of rights and freedoms by its systems… and we advocate for guarantees and fairness.”

Bouayach beckoned stakeholders to thoroughly examine AI’s effects on human rights across multiple dimensions. “We renew our call to actors in the field to highlight the impact of digital space and artificial intelligence systems on human rights, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence, privacy violations, discrimination, hate speech, incitement to violence, and barriers to equal access to rights,” she urged.

The CNDH president referenced a recent International Labour Organization report that revealed concerning gender disparities in AI’s impact. “A few days ago, the International Labour Organization released a report revealing that artificial intelligence threatens women’s jobs more than men’s,” Bouayach pointed out.

She explained that biases are sometimes inherently built into the systems, either through their designers or those training them.

“Vulnerable groups, especially women and girls, are often targeted,” Bouayach maintained, pointing to deepfake pornography as a particularly troubling example that would be discussed during the conference.

She further warned that “systems and algorithms can be a threat to freedom of expression, the absolute right to opinion, privacy, and the right to peaceful assembly,” adding that “algorithms can make disinformation easier, faster and more effective, threatening access to information, electoral choices, and democratic processes.”

“These concerns are not theoretical,” Bouayach reinforced. “They are the lived reality for many of the most vulnerable among us.” This reality, she suggested, demands urgent attention and coordinated action from human rights defenders worldwide.

The Moroccan delegation to the conference includes former minister and human rights activist Mohamed Aujjar, who chaired a session on “Deploying AI for Human Rights.” Abdelghani Berdi, head of the Technologies, Digital Space and Human Rights Department and Acting Communications Director at CNDH, also participated in the event.

The conference aims to facilitate meaningful dialogue through collective discussions and working groups over its two-day duration, bringing together experts and stakeholders to address the complex challenges at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human rights protection.