Can AI Algorithms in Public Service Delivery Be Transparent and Accountable?

Governments worldwide are increasingly turning to algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automate or support decision-making in public services. The deployment of these tools is frequently perceived as improving efficiency or lowering the costs of public services. However, evidence reveals that algorithmic systems in public service delivery can cause harm, breach human rights, and lead to other negative consequences. Most developing countries have yet to invest in initiatives to create public awareness and engage their population in using algorithms in public service delivery. Panelists will share country-specific experiences from around the globe, highlighting common challenges as well as opportunities for more efficacious deployment.

Introductory Remarks

Alberto García
UNESCO CHAIR IN BIOETHICS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Prof. Alberto García is the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights and Professor of Philosophy of Law, and Constitutional and International Law at Regina Apostolorum University in Rome. Furthermore, he is a researcher at the Human Rights Institute at Complutense University and member of the following Ethical Advisory Boards: ITERA (International Tissue Engineering Research Association) Life-Sciences Network, Cryo-Save and EU Projects CASCADE and REBORNE (within 7th Framework Program). For 5 years, he was member of the Steering Committee of Bioethics in the Council of Europe, and, in 2005, he was honored with the National Prize of the Spanish Royal Academy of Doctors in the field of legal and social sciences.

Panelists

Urvashi Aneja
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DIGITAL FUTURES LAB
Urvashi Aneja is the founding director of Digital Futures Lab. She examines the social impacts of data-driven decision-making systems in India and the majority world. Her current work examines the ethics and governance of AI in the global south; big tech and platform governance; and labour rights and wellbeing. Through her research, she seeks to make visible the current and future impacts of socio-technical change and draw attention to the underlying value conflicts and power asymmetries that prevent a more equitable distribution of technology gains.
Mark Findlay
PROFESSORIAL RESEARCH FELLOW, CAIDG, SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY
Professor Mark Findlay is a Professor of Law at Singapore Management University, and Professorial Research Fellow of its Centre for AI and Data Governance. In addition, he has honorary chairs at the Australian National University, and the University of New South Wales, as well as being an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the British Institute for International and Comparative Law, an Honorary Fellow of the Law School, University of Edinburgh, and a Visiting Professor at the Law School, York University. Professor Findlay is the author of 29 monographs and collections and over 150 refereed articles and book chapters.
Juan David Gutiérrez
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSIDAD DEL ROSARIO
Juan David Gutiérrez is Associate Professor at Universidad del Rosario in Colombia. He holds a PhD in public policy from the University of Oxford. His primary research and teaching area is public policy and artificial intelligence. Currently, he has been focusing on algorithmic transparency, regulation of artificial intelligence, automated decision-making systems, and chatbots in the public sector.
Maria Paz Hermosilla Cornejo
DIRECTOR, GOBLAB, ADOLFO IBANEZ UNIVERSITY
Maria Paz Hermosilla is currently the Director of GobLab UAI – a public innovation lab at the Adolfo Ibanez University’s School of Government, in Chile – whose mission is to help transform the public sector through data science. She is leading several research projects related to the use of data science to improve public policy, including predictive models in the social sector, the integration of data ethics into the public procurement process, and algorithmic transparency. She was appointed by the Chilean Ministry of Science in the expert advisory committee to create the national strategy for Artificial Intelligence, and in the national committee for Public Interest Data.

Moderator

Miriam Stankovich
SENIOR DIGITAL POLICY SPECIALIST, DAI
Dr. Miriam Stankovich is a Senior Digital Policy Specialist at DAI. She has rich research experience in leading complex projects in data protection and governance, intellectual property, and technology law, regulatory impact assessment of emerging technologies (AI, Blockchain, IoT, Virtual/Augmented Reality, and 3D Printing), and technology transfer. She has also served as a senior legal and policy advisor for major international organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union, World Bank (IBRD), WIPO, International Finance Corporation, UNIDO, UNICRI, Inter-American Development Bank, the African Development Bank, and the European Commission. She is a highly sought-after speaker at various international fora on some of the most complex challenges in innovation, especially in the regulation of emerging technologies.