EU: Artificial Intelligence Regulation Threatens Social Safety Net, Warns HRW

The European Union's plan to regulate artificial intelligence is ill-equipped to protect people from flawed algorithms that deprive them of lifesaving benefits and discriminate against vulnerable populations, Human Rights Watch said in report on the regulation. The European Parliament should amend the regulation to better protect people's rights to social security and an adequate standard of living. The 28-page report in the form of a question-and-answer document, "How the EU's Flawed Artificial Intelligence Regulation Endangers the Social Safety Net," examines how governments are turning to algorithms to allocate social security support and prevent benefits fraud. Drawing on case studies in Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, and the United Kingdom, Human Rights Watch found that this trend toward automation can discriminate against people who need social security support, compromise their privacy, and make it harder for them to qualify for government assistance. But the regulation will do little to prevent or rectify these harms.