Artificial intelligence and human rights: Are there signs of an emerging discipline? A systematic review

Abstract

Aim: Our systematic review seeks to understand the linkages and reciprocal relationships between the artificial intelligence (AI) and human rights (HRs) and to unveil the signs of emergence of a new discipline at the crossroads of these two disciplines.

Background: AI and HRs have evolved in parallel as two fields, with AI technology engineers eventually interested in the consequences of their products on HRs, while more recently HRs experts have been exploring the benefits and threats of AI technologies on the protection and promotion of HRs.

Methods: A broad range of databases within the fields of legal sciences, social sciences, health-care sciences and the more general sciences practitioner base “Web of Science” were explored. Articles were selected according to strict inclusion/exclusion criteria and systematically analyzed regarding their content and authorship.

Results: The crossroad between AI and HRs is a dynamic field where researchers from different disciplines have been exploring issues such as autonomous lethal weapons, privacy protection, discriminatory decision-making in the insurance and finance systems, intellectual property, and legal personality of the robots. Signs of the emergence of a new discipline were identified.

Conclusion: Identifying appropriate strategies to consolidate this emerging discipline seems necessary: one could be the development of academic programs at the crossroad of these two fields