Leavey Professor Michael Santoro Launches New Speaker Series on AI and Human Rights

As artificial intelligence integrates more deeply into daily life, its impact on human rights has drawn increasing scrutiny. While AI offers tremendous potential for innovation and economic growth, it also poses risks to privacy, equality, and personal freedoms. AI systems used in areas like law enforcement, hiring, and healthcare can produce biased or discriminatory outcomes when trained on flawed data. Additionally, the use of AI for surveillance and automated decision-making raises concerns around transparency, due process, and accountability.

At the heart of these challenges is the need to balance technological advancement with the protection of fundamental human rights. The European Union’s new AI Act seeks to do just that by establishing comprehensive rules governing the use of AI systems, particularly high-risk applications. It mandates greater transparency in AI algorithms, requires human oversight in decision-making processes, and places limits on uses of AI that could infringe on privacy or civil liberties. Similarly, the Digital Services Act aims to hold online platforms accountable for the content they host, with stricter rules for moderating illegal or harmful content, protecting user data, and safeguarding freedom of expression.

Silicon Valley companies doing business with the EU will need to navigate these regulations. To address this, Professor Santoro, a Co-Founder of the Business and Human Rights Journal has launched a new speaker series that will bring together top AI experts to explore these issues and help businesses understand the impact of these laws on their operations.