Responding to the news that the French National Assembly has decided to authorize the use of AI-assisted mass video surveillance technology during the 2024 Olympic Games, Mher Hakobyan, Amnesty International Advocacy Adviser on AI Regulation , has manifested:
“France’s decision to allow the use of mass surveillance measures during the 2024 Olympic Games undermines ongoing efforts by the European Union (EU) to regulate artificial intelligence and protect fundamental rights through the Artificial Intelligence Law. This decision, which legalizes the use of AI-assisted surveillance for the first time in France and in the EU, risks transforming the country permanently into a surveillance-based dystopian state, and enabling violations of large-scale human rights in other parts of the bloc.”
“France promotes itself as an exemplary defender of human rights throughout the world; however, his decision to legalize AI-assisted mass surveillance during the Olympics will lead to a widespread assault on the rights to privacy, protest, and freedom of expression and assembly. Furthermore, it is well documented that hostile surveillance technologies are used disproportionately against marginalized groups, including migrants and dark-skinned people.”
“As an influential EU Member State, France is setting a worrying precedent at a time when the bloc should focus on consolidating rights protection through the Artificial Intelligence Law. The European Parliament must urgently take a strong stance on banning mass surveillance technologies, including remote biometric identification and categorization in public spaces.”
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