Facing fundamental rights in the age of preventive ex ante AI: a contemporary form of discrimination

Abstract

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems become increasingly integrated into the social fabric of contemporary communities, ethical considerations surrounding their impact on fundamental rights have come to the fore. Indeed, the growing significance of AI has recently prompted a pivotal discourse within academic and policy circles in Europe concerning the development of an ethical framework for human-centric AI. As part of a broader research project examining the implications of AI on fundamental rights, particularly the right to non-discrimination, our objective is to present a preliminary overview of fundamental rights’ risk management in the context of AI. In light of the significant impact of AI on vulnerable individuals and minorities, our discussion will subsequently address critical areas of concern related to the EU AI Act, including algorithmic bias and its constituent elements of discrimination based on ethnicity or religion. Received: 06 June 2024 Accepted: 22 November 2024

Keywords

• artificial intelligence
• ethics
• fundamental rights
• algorithmic biases
• EU policies