EHRC urges better AI regulations for safeguarding human rights and equality

Proposals to regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the UK have been criticised by Britain's equality watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

The EHRC has warned that the current proposals fall short of effectively addressing the risks posed by AI to human rights and equality. While acknowledging the potential benefits of AI, the EHRC emphasized the need for greater focus on human rights and equality and increased funding for regulatory bodies such as the EHRC to effectively manage the rapidly advancing technology.

The EHRC's comments came in response to the UK government's White Paper on AI regulations, in which the government outlined its plans to regulate AI development and usage. As the body responsible for upholding and enforcing equality and human rights laws in Britain, the EHRC believes it is uniquely positioned to mitigate any negative impacts arising from new technologies.

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Chairwoman of the EHRC, expressed concern that without adequate measures in place, the equality risks associated with AI would continue to go unchecked. While she welcomed the government's focus on safe and responsible AI development and fairness in implementation, she argued that the proposed regulations did not go far enough.

Falkner stressed the importance of providing safety nets to protect individuals from the potential harms of unchecked AI advancement. She emphasised the need for careful oversight to prevent AI from exacerbating existing biases in society or leading to new forms of discrimination.

She said: "We welcome the government's focus on safe and responsible AI development, including the need for fairness in the way AI is implemented. But the proposed regulations do not go far enough. People want the benefits of new technology but also need safety nets to protect them from the risks posed by unchecked AI advancement.

"If any new technology is to bring innovation while keeping us safe, it needs careful oversight. This includes oversight to ensure that AI does not worsen existing biases in society or lead to new discrimination. To rise to this challenge, we need to boost our capability and scale up our operation as a regulator of equality and human rights. We cannot do that without government funding."

To address these challenges, the EHRC called on the UK government to allocate sufficient resources to regulatory bodies such as the EHRC and members of the Digital Regulators Cooperation Forum. The EHRC believes that without adequate funding, it will be unable to fulfil its role effectively as a regulator of equality and human rights.

While acknowledging that the White Paper represents a step forward in providing protection from AI, the EHRC urged the UK government to establish and invest in a robust regulatory framework that ensures the ethical and fair development of AI technologies. The EHRC supports the government's aspiration for the UK to become a leader in AI regulation and is committed to promoting responsible AI innovation.

Baroness Falkner expressed her ambition for the EHRC to play a significant role in ensuring that AI safely protects equality and human rights. She highlighted ongoing collaborations with other regulatory bodies to achieve this goal.

As AI technology continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, Falkner further stressed the need to strike the right balance between innovation to improve public services and support UK businesses, while safeguarding human rights and equality for all British citizens, as enshrined in law.

She added: "We are ambitious for the role the EHRC can play in ensuring AI safely protects equality and human rights. We are already collaborating with other regulatory bodies to achieve this goal.

"As AI technology continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, we must strike the right balance between innovation to improve public services and UK businesses, and the safeguarding of human rights and equality for everyone in Britain, as enshrined in law."

The EHRC has cautioned that the current proposals for AI regulation in the UK are insufficient to address the risks to human rights and equality. The government body stressed the importance of a robust regulatory framework, increased funding for regulatory bodies, and careful oversight to prevent the negative impacts of AI.

The EHRC called on the UK government to allocate sufficient resources to ensure effective regulation and support responsible AI innovation, aiming to strike a balance between technological advancement and safeguarding fundamental rights.