IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 25
Toward a More Equal
World: The Human Rights
Approach to Extending
the Benefits of Artificial
Intelligence
Elizabeth D. Gibbons
FXB Center for Health and Human Rights,
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health,
Boston, MA 02115 USA
We are all aware of the huge potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to bring massive benefits to
under-served populations, advancing equal access
to public services such as health, education, social
assistance, or public transportation, for example. We
are equally aware that AI can drive inequality, concentrating wealth, resources, and decision-making
power in the hands of a few countries, companies,
or citizens. Artificial intelligence for equity (AI4Eq)
[1] as presented in this magazine, calls upon academics, AI developers, civil society, and government
policy-makers to work collaboratively toward a technological transformation that increases the benefits
to society, reduces inequality, and aims to leave no
one behind. A call for equity rests on the human
rights principle of equality and nondiscrimination.
AI design, development, and deployment (AI-DDD)
can and should be harnessed to reduce inequality
and increase the share of the world's population
that is able to live in dignity and fully realize their
human potential. This commentary argues, first, that
far preferable to an ethics framework, adopting a
human rights framework for AI-DDD offers the potential for a robust and enforceable set of guidelines
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MTS.2021.3056295
Date of current version: 16 March 2021.
March 2021
for the pursuit of AI4Eq. Second, the commentary
introduces the work of IEEE in proposing practical
recommendations for AI4Eq, so that people living in
high-income countries (HICs), low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), alike, share AI applications' widespread benefit to humanity.
One proxy for " benefit to humanity " is The United
Nations Sustainable Development Agenda, which was
adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015; 193
nations voted in favor of the Agenda, which includes
17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) for the world
to achieve by 2030. The Agenda challenges all member
states to make concerted efforts toward the SDGs, and
thus toward a sustainable, prosperous, and resilient
future for people and the planet [2]. It calls for:
....... universal respect for human rights and human
dignity, the rule of law, justice, equality, and nondiscrimination; of respect for race, ethnicity, and cultural diversity; and of equal opportunity permitting
the full realization of human potential and contributing to shared prosperity.1
Central to this agenda is a transformation in
well-being that " leaves no-one behind " in the
1
Preamble [2].
0278-0097/21©2021 IEEE
25
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021
Contents
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - Cover1
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - Cover2
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - Contents
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 2
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 3
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 4
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 5
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 6
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 7
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 8
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 9
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 10
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 11
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 12
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 13
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 14
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 15
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 16
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 17
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 18
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 19
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 20
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 21
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 22
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 23
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 24
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 25
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 26
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 27
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 28
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 29
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 30
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 31
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 32
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 33
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 34
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 35
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 36
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 37
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 38
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 39
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 40
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 41
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 42
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 43
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 44
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 45
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 46
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 47
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 48
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 49
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 50
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 51
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 52
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 53
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 54
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 55
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 56
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 57
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 58
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 59
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 60
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 61
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 62
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 63
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 64
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 65
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 66
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 67
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 68
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 69
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 70
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 71
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 72
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 73
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 74
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 75
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 76
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 77
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 78
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 79
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 80
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 81
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 82
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 83
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 84
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 85
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 86
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 87
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 88
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 89
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 90
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 91
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 92
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 93
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 94
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 95
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - 96
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - Cover3
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2021 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2013
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com