UN Commissioner Calls for End to AI Biometric Recognition

The UN Commissioner for Human Rights is calling for an end to the use of biometric recognition in public spaces. Governments should first be able to demonstrate whether they comply with privacy legislation and whether there is no discrimination.

Michelle Bachelet makes this statement in a United Nations report discussing the effects of artificial intelligence on human rights. In it, the UN states that opaque data collection is a widespread phenomenon and that artificial intelligence can now be found in all aspects of society.

“AI is being used to investigate patterns in human behaviour. If one has access to the right data sets, it is possible, for example, to find out how many people visit a particular place of worship, which television programs they prefer or what their day and night rhythms look like. their political affiliation can be inferred,” the report’s authors state. “AI can have a huge impact on individuals’ lives and is used to predict future behavior or events.” Many of these predictions violate the right to privacy, according to the UN.

According to the UN, the right to privacy is also increasingly threatened by the use of biometric recognition of individuals in the public space. “Biometric recognition ensures that governments can identify and trace individuals in the public space. This undermines the possibility of going through life unobserved,” it sounds.

The UN also denounces the flaws in artificial intelligence and the lack of transparency about the technology in the report. “Despite the apparently small margin of error, the scale at which AI is deployed can have a lot of negative consequences. Moreover, the complexity of the technology and the secretive attitude of governments and private companies ensure that citizens do not understand the effects of artificial intelligence on human rights and society at large.”

Nevertheless, according to the Commissioner, technology can do a lot of good, but this requires a systematic assessment of the effects of artificial intelligence on human rights and whether or not these are being jeopardized by the technology.

Update, 11.20 pm: the term ‘moratorium’ was replaced by ‘cessation’ in the title and introduction.