Being human in the time of neuroscience and artificial intelligence involve carefully exploring the nexuses of complexity where valid ideas are nevertheless in tension, manifesting subtleties and challenges that must not be overlooked. Each page expresses the existing tension(s) between ideas and within each theme, which emerged in the collective discussions, and are then complemented by insights from NHNAI network researchers.

Complexity on democracy #3 : Ensuring safety and security without undermining fundamental rights

Some participants acknowledge the interest of using AI technologies to improve safety and security (enhanced video surveillance capabilities, increased ability to forecast and manage crisis such as epidemics or natural disaster.

At the same time, discussions clearly manifest worries about fundamental rights and privacy protection, especially mind privacy (already with profiling algorithms, and even more when neuroscience is added to the picture). Weakening privacy and blurring the limits between public and private spheres may notably impede freedom of thought and expression as well as democratic and social life. In addition, participants insist upon the fact that improvements in security and safety should not be achieved at the expense of the most vulnerable, who may encounter more difficulties in asserting their rights. In general, persons should never be reduced to their data.

The following ideas can be found in the global and local syntheses downloadable here

  • (Global – Democracy) Using AI to ensure safety and security
  • (Global – Democracy) Ensuring Privacy protection
  • (Global – Democracy) Taking into account vulnerable people and contributing to human rights, social and political inclusion
  • (Global – Democracy) Recognizing that human persons exceed the sole measurable dimensions
Insights from NHNAI academic network:

This Belgian recent survey[1] can bring expertise insight:

“In 2023, access to the internet and digital tools continued to increase, as did the use of online services. However, 40% of Belgians remain in a situation of digital vulnerability, due to poor digital skills or non-use of the internet. The acceleration in the digitisation of our society is therefore not leading to a proportional increase in digital skills.”

Another interesting report is the following: http://www.cjg.be/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/CJG-ETUDE-Big-Data-Page-par-page.pdf

Excerpt:

“WHY IS PRIVACY SO IMPORTANT? FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. Firstly, to preserve people’s dignity. Out of modesty, you might say. Secondly, because revealing things that should remain secret makes people vulnerable. It can undermine their authority if they have responsibilities. It makes it more difficult for them to assume the social role they must play in their professional lives. It can also reveal their weaknesses and allow unscrupulous people to exploit them to manipulate them, defraud them, steal their identity or do them harm. Finally, protecting privacy is important because everyone needs a refuge, a place where they can recharge their batteries without worrying about what they say, do or think. »

“Doesn’t privacy have a special relationship with other freedoms? This is the view of professor and legal expert Yves Poullet, who specialises in IT law. In his view, privacy is not a fundamental freedom alongside other freedoms, but a condition of other freedoms. In particular, freedom of expression and freedom of movement. If I know,’ he says, ’that I am constantly being spied on, I will no longer dare to express myself as I wish, even in more intimate and private settings. If I feel controlled at all times, how can I move around as I wish? »

[1] https://kbs-frb.be/fr/quatre-belges-sur-dix-toujours-risque-dexclusion-numerique

Regarding human vulnerability, antidemocratic regimes have already begun to turn AI towards its most evil uses. The free peoples of the world should do everything they can to protect themselves against these evil powers and determine how to roll those evil powers back until none are subjected to them any more. It is possible, but the effort must be made: we have to do the work.

It is worth considering the purpose of privacy, which exists at least partially to remedy the power differential between the individual and the state. Because knowledge is power, and the state has vastly more knowledge and power than the individual, the state is to be made to be more transparent to the individual (freedom of information about the government, narrowly scoped government secrecy), and the individual more opaque to the state (right to privacy).

AI is a power that can be controlled by states, but also by other organizations, and these organizations should likewise be made more transparent to the public and the public likewise protected from these organizations through privacy rights.

The desire for public safety via surveillance is, of course, in tension with the right to privacy noted above. The balance between safety and privacy is extremely contextual and so will vary from place to place, but in general, the transparency of the government side (or powerful organization) of the equation can be similarly enhanced in order to still protect individuals even if they are being more surveilled.

Using AI to support human flourishing and not stifle it is another version of the “balancing” question that has run through several themes above. There is a lot more to say here about what sorts of support are good and which are bad. We want AI to support adult humans being “adults” and oppose the use of AI to turns us into dependent “infants” with AI as our “parent.”