Projects / Programmes
Human Rights and Regulation of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.07.00 |
Social sciences |
Criminology and social work |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S160 |
Social sciences |
Criminology |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.05 |
Social Sciences |
Law |
ethically-aligned AI, AI governance, human rights and AI, law, algorithmic justice, automated decision-making system, transparency, accountability
Researchers (12)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
54925 |
Ana Babnik |
Law |
Technical associate |
2020 |
11 |
| 2. |
33448 |
Barbara Bizilj |
|
Technical associate |
2019 - 2020 |
24 |
| 3. |
51937 |
Marko Drobnjak |
Law |
Junior researcher |
2019 - 2021 |
47 |
| 4. |
55009 |
Lara Dular |
Law |
Researcher |
2020 - 2021 |
8 |
| 5. |
11843 |
PhD Matjaž Jager |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2019 - 2021 |
234 |
| 6. |
38465 |
Primož Križnar |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2019 - 2021 |
30 |
| 7. |
38045 |
PhD Karmen Lutman |
Law |
Researcher |
2020 - 2021 |
138 |
| 8. |
06979 |
PhD Renata Salecl |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2019 - 2020 |
866 |
| 9. |
38170 |
PhD Katja Simončič |
Criminology and social work |
Researcher |
2019 - 2021 |
48 |
| 10. |
50631 |
PhD Pika Šarf |
Law |
Junior researcher |
2019 - 2021 |
82 |
| 11. |
16302 |
PhD Ljupčo Todorovski |
Computer science and informatics |
Researcher |
2019 - 2021 |
443 |
| 12. |
26029 |
PhD Aleš Završnik |
Criminology and social work |
Head |
2019 - 2021 |
502 |
Organisations (2)
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) brings numerous benefits to individuals, businesses, and countries, e.g. when social networks recommend friends, when algorithms perform transactions on stock exchanges, when AI helps law enforcement agencies predict crime or the military search for potential terrorists, or when AI assists the elderly with daily routines. With the Europe-wide initiative on co-operation in the field of artificial intelligence, which Slovenia joined, the European Union has outlined its efforts to use big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence in order to tackle a number of inherently social problems: poverty, climate change, social inequality, and criminality. These developments in AI must take place in an appropriate legal and ethical framework, which will reinforce the existing levels of respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of every individual and vulnerable social groups and consolidate legitimate democratic processes.
In the first part, the Atlas of AI usage, the project will analyse the many domains and social subsystems in which AI is already being used, with the aim of preparing an automation and AI atlas. The analysis will address different uses of AI in several domains and social subsystems where AI can influence the foundations of democracy and the rule of law based on respect for fundamental human rights. The Atlas of Automation and AI will serve as the first epistemological cut in analysing the various uses of AI and automation. A special section of the first part will deal with an analysis of the existing uses of AI in public policy, which should strengthen the social and legal state and enable the quality of life of the entire population to increase. On the basis of case studies of good practices in the use of AI in public policies abroad and knowledge analyses from existing platforms and start-up companies, the project will examine how to successfully transfer these good practices and knowledge and implement them in the sphere of public policy.
In the second part of the project, AI Effects on Human Rights and the Individual, the project will develop qualitative analyses and assessments of the use of AI in pre-identified domains. Based on specific examples of the use of AI, the project will offer several conclusions and recommendations for the use of AI in specific social domains and public policies in the future. The specific ramifications that the project addresses are the effects on fundamental human rights (legal aspects) and the effects on subjectivity (psycho-social aspects). The starting point of the project is that the implementation of AI should be based on respect for fundamental human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy, and the rule of law, as well as on guaranteeing economic and political stability. Various examples of the existing use of AI show that, with many benefits, the decision-making systems reinforced by AI may often violate fundamental human rights codified in constitutions and binding international agreements. The threats may be specific to a single domain, e.g. insurance, banking, the judiciary, or law enforcement, but there are several common threats that exist in all domains. Examples of AI usage suggest that this raises a number of legal and ethical challenges. At the micro level, AI used in decision-making systems regarding individuals' rights and obligations may interfere with individual human rights, such as privacy and personal data protection, the principle of equality and social justice, and the individual's autonomy and dignity. On the meso and macro levels, however, AI influences the functioning of democracy, exacerbates global social and economic inequalities, and increases the social sorting of the population.
AI enters a specific social, cultural, and political space. It is the product of a specific socio-economic situation, which it also helps re-shape. Therefore, AI can be used to enhance "negative" social changes, for
Significance for science
The research project will contribute to deepening scientific knowledge in the field of AI in Slovenia and thus help Slovenia position itself as one of the countries at the forefront of the issue on a global level. Due to the interdisciplinary composition of the researchers participating in the project, several scientific fields will be enriched, most notably criminology, law, philosophy, psychology, public administration, global governance, international relations, as well as computer science and informatics.
Aside from contributing to the evolution of several scientific disciplines in Slovenia, the results will be relevant for the European as well as global academic community. The questions that we aim to address are clearly of global importance. The articles published, the conferences to be organised, and other deliverables produced will contribute to the exchange and dissemination of knowledge on a wider basis. By disseminating published papers as well as by attending and organising international conferences, our goal is likewise to enhance international cooperation with Slovenian and international experts. Networking and the maintenance of international scientific networks can then be utilised by cooperating in consortiums when applying for COST, Horizon 2020, and other grants. We also aim to transfer the acquired knowledge to our students in Slovenia and abroad where we lecture, i.e. faculties of law, the humanities and social sciences, social work, public administration, and security sciences.
By mapping AI usage and development in Slovenia, WP2 (“AI usage in various domains”) will substantially contribute to legal knowledge in criminology, as well as in various fields of law as our goal is to point to clashes that may occur in several separate legal disciplines as well as to question the suitability of the following legal regimes: competition law, privacy law, personal data protection law, consumer law, criminal and police law, and electoral law. In WP3 (“Analysis of AI usage in public policies”), we aim to contribute to the body of public administration knowledge by identifying AI solutions that will strengthen the legal and social state and enhance the quality of life of Slovenian citizens. Furthermore, sustainable AI-based solutions as well as smart solutions that can enable the inclusion of vulnerable groups of the population will be sought out, along with case studies of good practices in the use of AI in public policies abroad, and in existing platforms and start-up companies. Within WP4 (“The influence of AI on human rights”), advances in scientific legal knowledge will be made by analysing collisions between existing legal concepts and doctrines and human rights. This will likewise by achieved by attempting to answer questions regarding the common issues that may exist as regards using AI in decision-making processes, such as the non-transparency of basic decision-making parameters, the information bias of societal data, which is always socially and culturally biased, black box effects, self-fulfilling prophecies, the occurrence of a vicious cycle in AI predictions, issues with outliers, the danger of data maximisation, problems with poor datasets, the imbalance of power that occurs due to AI, the dangers of data determinism and discrimination, chilling effects, and echo chambers for personalised services. WP5 (“Psychological issues of AI”) will aim to answer the question of how AI can be of use to improve individuals’ psychological well-being as well as what the plans are to use it in mental health professions, which will contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of psychology. The findings on how the use of AI affects people in their daily lives is furthermore not relevant only for psychology, but a valuable piece of information determining the direction AI should take in various scientific disciplines. WP6 (“Ethical implications of AI”) will address the issue of having various ethical theories tha
Significance for the country
Competitiveness in the global market
Today, AI systems are able to reduce human efforts in a number of areas and companies thus employ them to optimise activities in industry. With the help of AI, business enterprises hope to reduce human efforts, obtain more accurate, efficient, and faster results, and minimise the danger of errors. If Slovenian companies wish to stay competitive in the global market it remains vital that existing and potential entrepreneurs understand the possibilities that AI brings as well as the harm that it may potentially inflict. By looking at how AI affects businesses, the public sector, and individuals, one of the goals of WP2 will be to try and discern the opportunities that are arising for business actors, aside from individuals and the public administration. In WP2 we will, inter alia, focus specifically on the following economic sectors: analytics in the banking sector, risky receivables and clients, analytics in the insurance sector, the analytics of insurance fraud (where we intend to collaborate with, e.g., the company Optilab), and analytics in business processes.
AI is, for example, already widely used in banking and financial systems to invest money in stocks, carry out financial operations, manage various properties, etc. New technologies likewise affect heavy industries that are using AI to give shape to a specific object, to move objects from one place to another, as well as for company management in general, e.g. to store company data, to extract such data with ease, and to identify organisational gaps. In air transport, for instance, a large number of management processes are controlled by AI, while booking tickets as well as the operation of flights can be streamlined by means of AI. In entertainment, with the help of AI one can play video games with gaming bots and engage in virtual reality. Companies in various sectors will have to adapt, and the research conducted in the context of this project will assist them in recognising the possibilities of implementing trustworthy AI and avoid the negative effects of the new tech tools that are not ethically aligned with the values of society as enshrined in the constitutional legal framework. One of the positive effects of AI implementation that companies count on is that it will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their business and mapping the state of AI readiness in Slovenia, which we aim to realise in WP9 could assist companies in doing just that. The research done in WP2 and WP9 will allow companies in various fields to recognise the existing possibilities in Slovenia that they could take advantage of, and allow tech companies to recognise gaps that they could address and exploit as business opportunities.
Legal compliance
Since the field of AI is still relatively new, legal regimes addressing AI issues are neither adequate nor coherent. One of the goals of this research will be to point to the possible legal clashes (WP4 and W7) that may occur in several separate legal disciplines as well as to question the suitability of the following legal regimes as regards the newly arisen needs of AI: competition law, privacy law, personal data protection law, consumer law, criminal and police law, and electoral law. Understanding what gaps exist in AI-related regulations and what challenges lie ahead is extremely important for existing companies as well as for those that are only starting a business in order for them to know what to pay attention to and where they might encounter some issues. By attempting to answer the question of what kind of ethics we have in mind when we speak of the ethics of AI, the research done in WP6 (“The ethical implications of AI”) will contribute to the body of knowledge regarding the regulation of AI, which likewise has important practical implications for businesses. Various ethical theories could serve as a value substructure for subsequent legal frameworks, from virtue ethics, deontological ethics, su
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2019,
2020
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2019,
2020
