Ethical and Social Challenges in the Algorithmic Fabric
Estrategia Latino Americana de Inteligencia Artificial
Session 294
An Anthropological Perspective
The Latin American Artificial Intelligence Strategy, ELA-IA, is an NGO with headquarters in Brazil and Chile, formed by academics and citizens interested in reflecting, debating, learning, developing, and co-creating solutions for the ethical and social challenges of the digital age. Its goal is to promote the ethical use of digital technologies through technological development, research, and education, focusing on protecting the personal data of individuals, communities, and collectives. It also aims to organize cooperative regional networks to encourage the sharing of studies, experiences, and advancements regarding AI ethics, considering Latin America's cultural and linguistic diversity. Currently, the organization is developing the concept of 'Digital Hermeneutic Justice' in line with developments in the growing field of Cognitive Justice and its applications in critical social epistemology and political philosophy.
Looking beyond 2025, ELA-IA sees digital ethics and AI's ethical, explainable, and responsible development as essential to guiding the use of ICTs for development. By integrating these principles into policy frameworks, technical standards, and institutional practices, the review of WSIS+20 can help shape a digital future that promotes human well-being, equity, and inclusion, upholding the values enshrined in the SDGs. Without ethics, technology only exacerbates problems such as inequality, poverty, and environmental destruction.
In its presentation, ELA-IA will focus the debate on the anthropological dimension: we often talk about 'users,' but who exactly are they? Are they just individuals of any age, as young as a 2-year-old, whose attention is to be captured to fuel an algorithmic process, essentially reducing them to data-generating entities rather than recognizing they are biological, social, and cultural human beings? It's a concerning issue: we're digitizing human beings, not humanizing technology and digital tools. As a result, the information society may be heading contrary to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Join us in reflecting on the Ethical and Social Challenges in the Algorithmic Fabric from a necessary anthropological perspective.
PhD candidate researching algorithms, AI and their applications in international political economy and geopolitics.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrique-pinto-coelho/
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C1. The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
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C3. Access to information and knowledge
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C5. Building confidence and security in use of ICTs
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C7. ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life — E-business
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C7. ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life — E-learning
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C7. ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life — E-health
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C7. ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life — E-employment
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C7. ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life — E-science
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C8. Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content
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C9. Media
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C10. Ethical dimensions of the Information Society
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C11. International and regional cooperation
This session is linked mainly with action lines C1, C3, C5, C7, C8, C9, C10, and C11. This section discusses some key aspects regarding ethics in algorithms and AI. The action lines were made a long time ago, and although there is one important action line (C10) concerning ethics, there is none about AI.
AI is also about the the role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development (C1); access to information and knowledge (C3); Building confidence and security in use of ICTs (C5), ICT applications (C7); Cultural diversity and identity; linguistic diversity and local content (C8); Media (C9); and international and regional cooperation (C11).
It is important to review the action lines because AI has changed technology paradigms. In the context of an information society, where the action lines were created, the internet linked different people and groups. Nowadays, not only does it link people with machines through natural language models, but it also links machines with other machines with autonomous databases. Everyday users are not cognitively equipped to deal with this new reality. That is why our organization will present propositions for promoting digital literacy and ways to check compliance and accountability on AI development, design, deployment and operation.
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Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all
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Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies
AI can be linked to all 17 sustainable development goals because every industry can have an automated process. Nevertheless, this session will focus the approach on two specific goals: Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all and Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful, and inclusive societies.
Instead of focusing only on AI applications, we propose that the international community examine all the processes of algorithm development, design, deployment, and operation. Goals 3 and 16 can enlighten the debate concerning AI to ensure that the divergent interests between big techs and users will not allow unethical and profit-centred technology. The global community must verify and check that technology and innovation do not harm the health of individuals and the health of communities through institutions. This session will propose five ways to ensure that AI be oriented towards a human-centred perspective.