Save the date! Launch of GISWatch 2019 on artificial intelligence at IGF

The 2019 edition of Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) will be launching at the IGF in Berlin on 28 November! The theme this year is quite timely, as the new edition explores “Artificial intelligence: Human rights, social justice and development”.

This year, in partnership with ARTICLE 19 and with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), we have put together a thought-provoking edition that addresses artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of the various implications for human rights across the globe.

Artificial intelligence is now receiving unprecedented attention as it finds widespread application in multiple spheres of activity. But what are the human rights, social justice and development implications of AI when used in areas such as health, education and social services, or in building “smart cities” in so-called “undeveloped” regions? How does algorithmic decision making impact on marginalised people and the poor?

The 2019 edition of GISWatch provides a perspective from the global South on the application of AI to our everyday lives. It includes 40 country reports from countries as diverse as Benin, Argentina, Jamaica, India and Ukraine, as well as three regional reports (on Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean). These are framed by eight thematic reports dealing with topics such as data governance, food sovereignty, AI in the workplace, feminism and AI, and so-called “killer robots”.

While pointing to the positive use of AI to enable rights in ways that were not easily possible before, this edition of GISWatch points to real threats that we need to pay attention to if we are going to build an AI-embedded future that enables human dignity.

Many of the authors will be in attendance to present their reports, and we hope you will join us as we launch this important collection.

When will we launch the GISWatch edition titled “Artificial intelligence: Human rights, social justice and development”?

• Date: Thursday, 28 November 2019

• Time: 13.00-14.30 local time

• Where: Room IV (IGF venue)

For more information, you can see the schedule here.

Curious to learn more about this year's edition? The 2019 Sneak Peek is now available and contains six full-length reports!