60 civil society organizations urge the Spanish Presidency to strengthen the protection of fundamental rights in the Artificial Intelligence Regulation of the European Union

2023-05-17 16:34:35

In an open letter addressed to the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, 60 national and international civil society organizations have expressed their concern about the deficiencies in the original proposal for the Artificial Intelligence Regulation (AI Law) of the European Union. These organizations ask the Spanish Presidency to guarantee robust legislation that is respectful of fundamental rights.

The organizations promoting the letter are Algorace, Algorights, CECU, Lafede.cat, Civio, Observatorio TAS, Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya and Éticas. under the umbrella AI Citizenthese organizations are leading the social response to artificial intelligence regulation and implementation policies.

In fact, in September of last year they promoted another communication on AESIA, for which they met with the Secretary for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence, Carme Artigas, and demanded the involvement of civil society in the future agency. On this occasion, the letter is backed by the joint position of 123 civil society organizations which was disclosed in November 2021 and which was sent to the euro representatives.

The signatory organizations, including Amnesty International, express their concern about the AI ​​Regulation and its significant impact both inside and outside the borders of the European Union. They point out in particular that AI systems, by fostering mass surveillance and amplifying social inequalities and power imbalances, can represent, if civil society safeguards and controls are not in place, a serious threat to fundamental rights and democratic processes.

In the letter, he highlights several key concerns that should be addressed during the final negotiations of the AI ​​Regulation. Some of these concerns include:
1. Expand the list of prohibited AI systems that represent an “unacceptable risk” for fundamental rights.
2. Eliminate discretion in the process of classifying high-risk systems.
3. Establish meaningful public accountability and transparency obligations for public uses and implementers of high-risk AI systems.
4. Guarantee rights and redress mechanisms for people affected by AI systems.
5. Ensure that technical standards do not compromise fundamental rights and promote greater participation of civil society in their development.

To transfer the details of these demands, the organizations request the Government to hold high-level meetings with representatives of different ministries and portfolios and before the start of the Spanish Presidency. In these meetings, guarantees will be requested so that fundamental rights are adequately reinforced and protected in the final text of the AI ​​Regulation, as well as the participation of organized civil society in the definition of standards.

Link to membership list