Goldsmiths Law’s “European encounters” - The Council of Europe and AI

Goldsmiths Law inaugurates a programme of “European encounters” with a visit by the Council of Europe's Charlotte Altenhöner-Dion, Head of the Internet Governance Unit.

Goldsmiths Law is delighted to inaugurate a programme of “European encounters”. In this first session in the series, we have the pleasure of welcoming to the College the Council of Europe’s Charlotte Altenhöner-Dion, who is the Head of the Internet Governance Unit and Secretary to the Expert Committee on Human Rights Dimensions of Automated Data Processing and Different Forms of Artificial Intelligence (MSI-AUT).

Ms Altenhöner-Dion will reflect on the Council of Europe’s efforts to assess both the threats and opportunities of AI for human rights. The Council of Europe’s new website on AI provides a useful illustration of recent initiatives, forthcoming events, and projects planned.

Increasing numbers of Europeans reap the benefits of AI every day as unprecedented progress is made in a wide range of fields, including industrial productivity, health care, transportation and logistics. At the same time, there is growing concern amongst the public about the broader implications of the use, and possible abuse, of automated data processing and mathematical modelling for individuals, for communities, and for societies. Ms Altenhöner-Dion will attempt to provide answers to a number of emerging questions:

Can computational data analytics replace the reasoning of a trained judge when applying the law to a specific context? How does algorithmic decision-making affect the delivery of essential public services and our recruitment and employment conditions?

Can individuals remain visible as independent agents in societies that are shaped by optimisation processes?

What is the effect on freedom of expression and the plurality of public communication spaces when individuals are micro-targeted with messages that are based on profiling?

And finally: how does the increasing reliance on mainly privately developed and run technology square with the rule of law and the fundamental principle of democratic societies that all power must be accountable before the law?

The ”European Encounters” series echoes Goldsmiths' LLB Law programme’s intention to offer its students unique opportunities to engage with UK and European policy makers, and to explore cutting edge issues such as the relationship between technology and European human rights.

Dates & times

Date	Time	Add to calendar
5 Mar 2019	9:30am - 11:30am	apple google outlook

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