Artificial IntelligenceHumRts

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

AI has brought about a fourth industrial revolution, challenging decision-making paradigms and enabling machines to analyze vast amounts of data to provide answers and solve questions when the scenario is uncertain or incomplete. AI is increasingly present in all facets of human life. From the moment we wake up, to the information we consume, to the food we eat, and the products we purchase, it is becoming more embedded in our lives each day. The relationship between this technology and human rights is a double-edged sword. AI technologies might be a relevant instrument for advancing human rights by addressing global challenges, such as improving healthcare and disaster relief. However, they also present significant risks of pushbacks, including gender and racial discrimination. Furthermore, AI programs, which are often data-driven, increasingly shape the digital environment, allowing both governments and private enterprises to monitor, analyze, predict, and worse, manipulate human behavior to an unprecedented extent. In this context, the construction and reproduction of knowledge is likely to be in the hands of a few global northern States. AI systems are shaped and deployed in a largely unregulated environment, and nascent normative frameworks, such as the EU AI Act, come mainly from the global north. Latin America, one of the most unequal and diverse regions of the planet, must take a prominent role to avoid new forms of colonialism and ensure that multiple voices are heard. What are the potential benefits of AI in addressing human rights issues in Latin America? What are the key challenges AI poses to human rights in the region? How do concepts like surveillance neocolonial capitalism and technocolonialism relate to AI and its impact on the Global South, particularly in Latin America? Do AI technologies, predominantly developed by companies in the Global North, take into account the languages, cultures, and specific needs of local populations in the region? Could these technologies perpetuate or even exacerbate stereotypes and inequities in Latin America? Are these technologies reinforcing existing power imbalances, especially if adopted without careful consideration? Is AI contributing to an "abyssal line" that marginalizes non-dominant perspectives of knowledge and intelligence? What actions can Latin America take to ensure AI development and deployment align with human rights principles? What role can Latin America play in shaping the future of digital infrastructures and AI policies to prioritize human rights, equity, and social justice? This course critically examines the intersection of emerging technologies, human rights, and social inequalities, with a focus on Latin America, its unique perspectives, and existing power imbalances. It examines the twofold nature of AI technologies and how the development of AI without adequate decolonial and human rights safeguards can reproduce and deepen disparities. It draws from case studies in the areas of health, work, culture, freedom of expression, and housing with an intersectional approach focused especially on gender and race. Additionally, it emphasizes the need to develop a Latin American perspective in the context of AI. Students will engage in hands-on activities to develop proposals for solutions for a fairer AI future in Latin America.