We are actively participating in the discussion around such critical topics as artificial intelligence and automatic decision-making in the public sector.
Earlier this summer, the European Commission ran a public consultation on the rules governing the use of artificial intelligence. Below we present some of the comments which we submitted:
- From the perspective of our Foundation, the AI Act should – to a greater extent – ensure transparency of the public sector in relation to the use of artificial intelligence systems.
- AI systems can be used by public institutions in many key areas, e.g. health protection, education, social services, the judiciary and the economy. Consequently, these systems can have a very broad and varied impact and can affect many different social groups, including those particularly vulnerable to discrimination. The use of AI systems by the state may in many situations lead to shaping the scope of rights and obligations of citizens by these systems.
- The Foundation points out the possibility that an AI system – seemingly intended for ancillary administrative activities – will actually have an impact on the exercise of public authority (e.g. in the administration of justice), including the direct situation of citizens. A misinterpretation in determining whether a given AI system is a high-risk system or not, in particular when this system is used by public authorities, may have a wide range of negative consequences for citizens, due to the lower degree of transparency in the operation of such a system.
- Due to the fact that most of the AI systems used by public institutions will have a potentially significant impact on shaping the rights or obligations of citizens, we postulate that in the European Commission's Proposal the measures controlling the use and implementation of artificial intelligence by public authorities should be strengthened.
- We believe that all AI-based systems that are implemented in public institutions can potentially affect the rights and obligations of citizens. Not all of these AI systems will appear to be high-risk, but most of them will have the potential to have a broad and deep impact on society, including possible undesirable effects.
- In 2019, we recommended creating a publicly available database (at the national level) containing all AI-based systems used by state institutions. We are reiterating this recommendation because we believe that in most cases, use of AI systems in the public sector may have an impact on the situation of citizens and as such generate a high risk for their rights and obligations.
Please find the Moje Państwo Foundation opinion here:
https://bit.ly/2VuQFHr*This project has been supported by the European AI Fund, a collaborative initiative of the Network of European Foundations (NEF). The sole responsibility for the project lies with the organiser (s) and the content may not necessarily reflect the position of European AI Fund, NEF or European AI Fund’s Partner Foundations.