Amine Bouayach warns of AI risks to human rights

Amine Bouayach, President of the National Human Rights Council and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, has issued warnings regarding the risks posed by artificial intelligence and digital technologies. Speaking at an international conference in Athens, Bouayach emphasized that human rights protections must be the foundation of AI governance.

While acknowledging that AI can improve public services and social inclusion, Bouayach highlighted significant threats, including deepfakes, misinformation, and biased algorithms that could deepen social inequalities and discrimination. She also raised concerns about the excessive use of facial recognition technology and its impact on privacy and equality.

To mitigate these risks, Bouayach called for increased human oversight, accountability for developers and users, and regular impact assessments throughout the lifecycle of AI systems. She advocated for a ‘human rights by design’ approach, involving developers and civil society in the creation of digital systems to ensure they respect fundamental freedoms and dignity.