Lecture by: Alessandro Mantelero

Discussant: Federica Casarosa   

Predictive policing software, neighbourhood aggregate credit scoring and many other algorithmic decision-support systems highlight how the potential negative outcomes of data use are no longer restricted to the widely recognised privacy-related risks.

The use of algorithms as well as data-intensive technologies suggest the adoption of a broader view focused on the impact of data use on a variety of fundamental rights and freedoms, which also takes into account the ethical and social consequences of data processing. A recent evolution in this sense is evident in the initiatives adopted by the Council of Europe in the field of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.

Against this background, the lecture focuses on the Guidelines on AI and data protection recently adopted by the Consultative Committee of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Processing of Personal Data (Convention 108), which provide a set of baseline measures for governments, AI developers, manufacturers, and service providers. These guidelines suggest the adoption of a values-oriented approach in AI development, based on human rights and fundamental freedoms. Precautionary approach, risk prevention, data quality, participatory approach, and freedom of choice are some of the key points of these guidelines which will be discussed during the lecture. Finally, the Guidelines on AI will be compared with other initiatives in this field, such as the Declaration on Ethics and Data Protection in Artificial Intelligence adopted by the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, and the draft of the Ethics Guidelines on AI provided by the EU High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence.