Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 1: Bruno Carballa Smichowski, Intergovernmental Organization, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Camila Leite Contri, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 3: Juan David Gutiérrez, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 4: Hannah Taieb, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Camila Leite Contri, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 3: Juan David Gutiérrez, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 4: Hannah Taieb, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The session aims to foster discussion, ideas, comprehension and alignment between speakers and the in-person and online audiences. We therefore believe the best format to advance the session’s objectives is a Round Table, which offers time and openness to support constructive debate.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The session aims to foster discussion, ideas, comprehension and alignment between speakers and the in-person and online audiences. We therefore believe the best format to advance the session’s objectives is a Round Table, which offers time and openness to support constructive debate.
Policy Question(s)
(i) Is it reasonable to consider large private technology companies to be gatekeepers of human rights? If so, what does this mean?
(ii) Given the economic concentration of AI and big tech companies, how can the legal system be used to protect human rights?
(iii) In addition to legal regulatory models, what other possibilities, such as economic, technical, and educational, can we consider in thinking about new realities for technologies and business models that protect rights?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Panelists will present an overview of the effects of the economic concentration of AI companies and digital communication platforms on human rights and the potential responses from the perspective of different sectors. The premise of the panel is that these strategies should be multiple, combining different tools, such as (i) encouraging territorialized communication in communities, based not only on social networks, (ii) identifying and promoting digital communication technology solutions that are open and accessible, (iii) access to information on how social media platforms work to make informed decisions about in which situations it is safe or risky to use them, (iv) increasing legal requirements for transparency and accountability of platforms, (v) confronting the concentration of economic power in large social media platforms and AI tools.
SDGs
Description:
The session will bring together multistakeholder experts to discuss the growing economic power of AI companies and digital platforms and their implications for human rights and democratic processes. Through an interactive format, both in-person and online participants will engage in a collaborative discussion on the role of digital platforms as "gatekeepers" of human rights and the need for regulatory frameworks to ensure fairness and competition in digital markets to protect human rights. The session will focus on: (i) The Impact of Platform Monopolies on Human Rights: Examining how AI and data-centric, attention-driven business models lead to the exploitation of user data, limit consumer choice, and perpetuate a cycle of dependency while undermining democratic principles and human rights; (ii) Regulation of AI and Platform Conduct and Structures, especially to promote a more diverse and competitive digital market ; (iii) Exploration of the intersection between human rights and economic interests, with a focus on creating regulatory solutions that support both innovation and fundamental freedoms in digital spaces; (iv) Practical Regulatory Solutions: Delving into concrete proposals such as interoperability of systems, unbundling of services, and promoting open-source tools to reduce the power concentration in digital markets, foster innovation, and ensure users have real choices. The session will be an interactive opportunity for stakeholders to exchange ideas, propose tangible solutions, and collaborate on a regulatory framework that promotes accountability, fairness, and transparency in the digital ecosystem.
The session will bring together multistakeholder experts to discuss the growing economic power of AI companies and digital platforms and their implications for human rights and democratic processes. Through an interactive format, both in-person and online participants will engage in a collaborative discussion on the role of digital platforms as "gatekeepers" of human rights and the need for regulatory frameworks to ensure fairness and competition in digital markets to protect human rights. The session will focus on: (i) The Impact of Platform Monopolies on Human Rights: Examining how AI and data-centric, attention-driven business models lead to the exploitation of user data, limit consumer choice, and perpetuate a cycle of dependency while undermining democratic principles and human rights; (ii) Regulation of AI and Platform Conduct and Structures, especially to promote a more diverse and competitive digital market ; (iii) Exploration of the intersection between human rights and economic interests, with a focus on creating regulatory solutions that support both innovation and fundamental freedoms in digital spaces; (iv) Practical Regulatory Solutions: Delving into concrete proposals such as interoperability of systems, unbundling of services, and promoting open-source tools to reduce the power concentration in digital markets, foster innovation, and ensure users have real choices. The session will be an interactive opportunity for stakeholders to exchange ideas, propose tangible solutions, and collaborate on a regulatory framework that promotes accountability, fairness, and transparency in the digital ecosystem.
Expected Outcomes
The session is expected to gather suggestions for collaboratively designed solutions, which will be the subject of a report published after the meeting. In addition, the conversation will be used to plan new meetings in the form of events, training sessions, and workshops on the same theme so that discussions can continue to evolve in search of concrete solutions to the problem of economic concentration of large AI companies and digital platforms that pose a risk and cause concrete harm to the exercise of human rights.
Hybrid Format: One month before the roundtable, video and text information about the topic will be released on social media to create interest, and generate questions from the audience. Simultaneously, an online form will be made available to identify the most frequently asked questions, with space for comments and suggested questions for the panel participants.
On the day of the event, online and on-site moderators will select questions from the audience for the panelists. In addition to the comments and questions in the live stream facilitated by the event organizers, online audience participation will be encouraged on social media using specific hashtags. These questions will be organized and forwarded to the panelists for answers.
There will also be the possibility of engagement after the roundtable, as any unanswered questions will be forwarded to the panelists. If relevant, they will be included in the roundtable final report.