Taming the Digital Leviathan: Automated Decision-Making and International Human Rights
Enthusiasm abounds about the potential of artificial intelligence to automate public decision-making. The rise of machine learning and computational text analysis together with the proliferation of digital platforms has raised the prospect of “robo-judging” and “robo-administrators.” From a human ri...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2020-01-01
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| Series: | AJIL Unbound |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2398772320000318/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811157335639326720 |
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| author | Malcolm Langford |
| author_facet | Malcolm Langford |
| author_sort | Malcolm Langford |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Enthusiasm abounds about the potential of artificial intelligence to automate public decision-making. The rise of machine learning and computational text analysis together with the proliferation of digital platforms has raised the prospect of “robo-judging” and “robo-administrators.” From a human rights perspective, the reaction has been mixed, and on balance negative. Optimists herald the possibilities of democratizing legal services and making decision-making more predictable and efficient. Critics warn, however, of the specter of new forms of social control, arbitrariness, and inequality. This essay examines the concerns over the turn to automation from the perspective of two international human rights: the rights to social security and a fair trial. It argues that while the critiques deserve a full hearing, they should be evidence-based, informed by an understanding of “technological systems,” and cognizant of the trade-offs between human and machine failure. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:05:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-25bfbc58844f4fbeae4a75f98a432795 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2398-7723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:05:39Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AJIL Unbound |
| spelling | doaj.art-25bfbc58844f4fbeae4a75f98a4327952023-03-09T12:27:09ZengCambridge University PressAJIL Unbound2398-77232020-01-0111414114610.1017/aju.2020.31Taming the Digital Leviathan: Automated Decision-Making and International Human RightsMalcolm Langford0Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo; Director, Centre for Experiential Legal Learning (CELL), University of Oslo; Co-Director, Centre on Law and Social Transformation, Chr. Michelsen Institute and University of Bergen.Enthusiasm abounds about the potential of artificial intelligence to automate public decision-making. The rise of machine learning and computational text analysis together with the proliferation of digital platforms has raised the prospect of “robo-judging” and “robo-administrators.” From a human rights perspective, the reaction has been mixed, and on balance negative. Optimists herald the possibilities of democratizing legal services and making decision-making more predictable and efficient. Critics warn, however, of the specter of new forms of social control, arbitrariness, and inequality. This essay examines the concerns over the turn to automation from the perspective of two international human rights: the rights to social security and a fair trial. It argues that while the critiques deserve a full hearing, they should be evidence-based, informed by an understanding of “technological systems,” and cognizant of the trade-offs between human and machine failure.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2398772320000318/type/journal_article |
| spellingShingle | Malcolm Langford Taming the Digital Leviathan: Automated Decision-Making and International Human Rights AJIL Unbound |
| title | Taming the Digital Leviathan: Automated Decision-Making and International Human Rights |
| title_full | Taming the Digital Leviathan: Automated Decision-Making and International Human Rights |
| title_fullStr | Taming the Digital Leviathan: Automated Decision-Making and International Human Rights |
| title_full_unstemmed | Taming the Digital Leviathan: Automated Decision-Making and International Human Rights |
| title_short | Taming the Digital Leviathan: Automated Decision-Making and International Human Rights |
| title_sort | taming the digital leviathan automated decision making and international human rights |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2398772320000318/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT malcolmlangford tamingthedigitalleviathanautomateddecisionmakingandinternationalhumanrights |