About the event
Critical thinking about the social impacts of technology is becoming urgent, particularly in a scenario of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and algorithmic automation. Global digitalisation continues to widen the inequality gap as well as the digital divide, as digitalisation is not happening equally all over the world.
The event aims to explore how to build a digital transition that does not leave anyone behind, protects and reinforces human rights in the digital age, and places both people and the planet at the centre of the technological deployment.
It will assemble top-leading thinkers and doers who will discuss, identify, and address the challenges our societies are facing from a human-centred technological perspective, through themes such as Digital Inclusion, Ethical Artificial Intelligence and Digital rights.
When
Monday, November 15th
9:30 h – 18:30 h CET
Where
Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona.
Speakers
Carme Artigas
Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence, Government of Spain
Laia Bonet
Deputy Mayor of Barcelona for the 2030 Agenda, the Digital Transition and International Relations
Carlos Grau
CEO Mobile World Capital Barcelona
Cristina Colom
Digital Future Society Director
Sonia Jorge
Executive Director, Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), Web Foundation
Carissa Veliz
"Researcher, philospher, writer"- Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford
Delphine Jamet
Vice President in Charge of Digital at Bordeaux Métropole
Morten Meyerhoff
EGOV Advisor, UNU-EGOV
Michael Donaldson
CTO -City of Barcelona
Nerea Luis
Artificial Intelligence Lead at Singular
Gemma Galdón
CEO & Founder -ETICAS
Gianluca Misuraca
Team Leader and Key Expert on AI Diplomacy & Strategic Communication
John Paul Farmer
New York City's CTO
Renata Ávila
Researcher, Leader – Creative Commons Guatemala Project
Werner Stengg
Digital Expert, Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, European Commission
Lucia Velasco
ONTSI Director
Roos Vermeij
Deputy Mayor for Economy, Districts & Small Localities, Municipality of Rotterdam
Liliana Arroyo
Researcher & lecturer – Esade
Brando Benifei
Rapporteur on the AI Act, Head of the PD delegatio – European Parliament (MEP)
Ramon Roca
President – Fundació Guifi.net
Anne Kaun
Researcher and lecturer at Södertorn University
David Franquesa
CEO, Co-Director – Usody, eReuse
Núria Oliver
Chief Data Scientist – Data-Pop Alliance
Judit Batayé
Director of Catalunya TECH friendly
Agustí Cerrillo
Catedrático de derecho administrativo – UOC
Simon Chignard
Expert on data governance at UIA (Urban Innovative Actions) and Senior Lecturer at SciencesPo
Amos Toh
Senior Researcher on AI at Human Rights Watch
Cecilio Angulo
Full Professor at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Ricardo Baeza-Yates
Director of Reserch at Institute for Experiential AI, Northeastern University
Judith Membrives i Llorens
Digital Transformation, Tech Sovereignty and AI advocac at Lafede.cat and Assistant Lecturer at UOC
Jackson Morgan
O.team Consultant
Simona Levi
Co-founder – Xnet and15MpaRato
Raquel Jorge Ricart
Policy Analyst – Technology, Digital and Cyber Policy at Elcano Royal Institute
Javier Creus
Founder of Ideas for Change
Belén Santa Cruz
Cabinet Adviser at Secretary of State of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence
Andrea G. Rodríguez
Lead Researcher -CIDOB
Marc Perez-Batlle
Innovation Manager at Barcelona City Council
Moderators
Pipo Serrano
Master of Ceremonies: Journalist; Head of Innovation & New Business at Broadcaster
Thais Ruiz de Ávila
Moderator. Founder & CEO – Digital Fems
Carles Planas
Moderator. Tech Journalist, El Periódico
Carina Lopes
Moderator. Head of Digital Future Society Think Tank
Melissa Heikkilä
Moderator. AI correspondent, Politico Europe
Olivia Blanchard
Moderator. Researcher Digital Future Society Think Tank
Jordi Vaquer
Moderator. Open Society Foundations
María Celia Fernández Aller
Moderator. Professor of "Social, Ethical and Legal Issues” at Technical University of Madrid
Federico Ruiz
Moderator. Head of Spain's 5G National Observatory, MWC
Programme
| 9:30 | OPENING CEREMONY
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| 10:00 | KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
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| 10:30 | PANEL: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION & CITIES
Welcome Address: Cristina Colom, Digital Future Society Director
Moderator: Laia Bonet, Deputy Mayor of Barcelona for the 2030 Agenda, the Digital Transition and International Relations |
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| 11:30 | Coffee break | |
| 12:00 | PUBLIC POLICIES AGAINST THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Moderator: Carina Lopes, Head of Digital Future Society Think Tank |
ALGORITHM DEMOCRACY
Moderator: Carles Planas, Tech Journalist, El Periódico In collaboration with Activostech and El Periódico |
| 12:45 | Break | |
| 13:00 | FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGIES: SECURING RESPONSIBLE USES IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS
Moderator: Melissa Heikkila, AI correspondent, Politico Europe |
COMMUNITY APPROACH TO THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Moderator: Thais Ruiz de Alda, Founder & CEO of Digital Fems |
| 13:45 | Lunch break | |
KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
As the world becomes ever-more digital due to the rapid expansion of digital communication infrastructure and exponential adoption of digital technology, so does the need for our rights to be respected both online and offline. Digital technologies provide new means to exercise human rights, but they are too often also used to violate them. Hence, they have transformed the means through which human rights are both exercised and infringed around the world. Everyday, there are new examples of how digital technologies play a role in undermining human rights and freedoms, such as data protection and privacy issues, digital identity, the use of surveillance technologies or online violence and harassment, among others. In this context, this session is aimed at exploring how the human rights movement can catch up to the digital reality in which we operate now.
PANEL: THE ROLE OF CITIES IN BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE, SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
A recent report from the United Nations has highlighted the undeniable and steadily growing Digital technologies are driving a profound transformation in how our economies are organized and how we relate to each other and with public institutions. This path of digital acceleration is shaping public and private services, procedures and products, unleashing both gains in convenience and efficiency but also potential or even real risks at individual or societal levels. City governments are part of this global transformation and taking advantage of different technology drivers to deploy new forms of governance and service delivery by digital means. This may entail real-time management, artificial intelligence and algorithmic decision-making, big data analytics, among others. Local governments can also be frontrunners in our quest for a digital society that benefits all, leaves no one behind and enlarges individual agency and democratic rights and freedoms. Breakthrough initiatives embraced at local level (in terms of responsible use of technologies, commitments on high standards of protection of privacy, digital inclusion or even banning of certain solutions following precautionary principles) can have huge impacts in how digital technology takes form globally. This impact form local level action can even be larger when municipalities work in concerted ways. This session is an exploration on the experience of a number of city governments committed to making sound digital transformation a reality, and what are the principles, frameworks and actions they are pursuing an inclusive digital society.
PUBLIC POLICIES AGAINST THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Technology has become an essential component of everyday life, and its presence and use have a significant impact on an individuals’ ability to fully engage in society generally and, more specifically, in essential areas such as education, employment, government, citizen participation, and socialization. Unluckily, at the same time, there is a growing gap, a new form of divide or exclusion, gradually separating those who can derive multiples benefits from digital society and those who cannot. Hence, as digital and online activity increases globally, it does the digital divide and all the ways in which digital inequality manifests. As this inequality is a multi-faceted phenomenon and takes shape at different levels, active policies and conscious design processes are needed to face it, both at local and at global level. Within this framework, this session seeks to illustrate specific forms of public intervention in contexts of digital exclusion, discussing the way public policies are tackling the issue in a multi-dimensional way, addressing not only access connectivity, but also affordability, usability and skills acquisition.
ALGORITHM DEMOCRACY
A recent report from the United Nations has highlighted the undeniable and steadily growing impacts of AI technologies on the exercise of the right to privacy and other human rights. This is only a new milestone of a long-time work and assessment on how AI brings crucial conflicts for the proximate future, if not today. The growing use by public and private actors of artificial intelligence, including profiling, automated decision-making and machine-learning technologies, affects the enjoyment of the right to privacy and associated rights, and even shapes a new understanding of what privacy means and how to build protective frameworks. Moreover, automated decision algorithms are currently propagating gender and race discrimination throughout our global community. Despite all that, algorithms are not intrinsically bad. There are enormous opportunities to harness the value of data and the power of algorithms to bring benefits across society, but there is a need to confront these potentials within democratic principles. Through this session, we will explore different ways to address the fundamental problems associated with AI, seeking solutions and ideas for overcoming AI-enabled discrimination, and tools for achieving a democratic, transparent and accountable governance of AI schemes.
FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGIES: SECURING RESPONSIBLE USES IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS
Facial recognition technologies are often flagged as among the riskiest AI applications. Their increasing use, without proper public assessment, has emerged as a salient issue in the worldwide public debate on biometric surveillance, facing strong opposition and an emerging backlash within digital rights movement. Specifically, its use has recently been the subject of governmental scrutiny both in Europe – as in the UK– and the US. While there are real benefits to using facial recognition systems for public safety and security, their pervasiveness and intrusiveness, as well as their susceptibility to error, give rise to several fundamental rights concerns. Hence, these systems need to be regulated to ensure there are sufficient safeguards in place to protect people’s privacy and freedoms, and accountability measures must be implemented. Throughout this session, we will discuss the hidden risks of facial recognition, as well as the criteria to assess the ethics of such systems. Additionally, we will explore a number of experiences around the world regarding the guidance on its use or the actions some cities are taking in order to regulate it.
COMMUNITY APPROACH TO THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
The digital divide is a multifaceted phenomenon that remains an important public policy debate that encompasses social, economic and political issues. While the problem of digital exclusion has been recognized by governments all over the world for many years, sustainable and scalable solutions have struggled to emerge. In this context, a community approach through community-led initiatives to tackle the digital divide is necessary, as we can not rely only on public frameworks to tackle digital inequality risks. This session aims to discuss and explore different projects, actions, initiatives, best practices, and community-led approaches addressing the digital divide in particular contexts and situations.
| 15:00 | KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: AI IN PRACTICE: ETHICAL CHALLENGES AHEAD
KEYNOTE: WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE EVERYBODY CONNECTED
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| 15:45 | Coffee break | |
| 16:15 | OPERATIONALIZING ETHICS IN AI: REGULATORY STANDARDS
Moderator: María Celia Fernández Aller, Professor of “Social, Ethical and Legal Issues” at Technical University of Madrid |
DIGITAL RIGHTS, DATA AND PRIVACY
Moderator: Jordi Vaquer, Director for Global Foresight and Analysis at Open Society Foundations |
| 17:00 | Break | |
| 17:15 | UNPACKING THE USE OF AI BIAS: GENDER, RACE AND CLASS
Moderator: Olivia Blanchard, Researcher Digital Future Society Think Tank |
DIGITAL PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURES: DATA AND SOFTWARE
Moderator: Federico Ruíz, Head of Spain’s 5G National Observatory, MWC |
| 18:15 | INSTITUTIONAL CLOSING
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KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: AI IN PRACTICE: ETHICAL CHALLENGES AHEAD
Artificial intelligence is gaining more and more practical uses and it is emerging as driver of different innovations in decisión-making at public and private levels. It is also a fancy concept for headlines, but it still lacks a clear understanding of it social and individual impacts. We need to raise awareness on the principles we need to build fairer and ethical AI-driven technology solutions. The session will explore the speaker´s view on how to build a better social understanding on what AI computation means in our digital society.
OPERATIONALIZING ETHICS IN AI: REGULATORY STANDARDS AT CITY LEVEL
Today, AI technologies and tools play a key role in every aspect of our life, as they have become a part of our everyday lives from healthcare to online banking, rideshare apps, smart assistants or even law enforcement. AI negative impacts are not science-fiction anymore, and different research and assessment projects have gained societal awareness on how AI-related mechanisms and procedures are already generating negative impacts. These challenges have grown apace quickly, ranging from algorithmic bias and data privacy to transparency and accountability. AI is indeed an opportunity, but the challenge is to set a new direction that favours its inclusive, resilient and sustainable use by local governments. How can this be achieved and through which frameworks? During this session, we will address and overview different tools and actions that are being implemented in some leading cities seeking ethical standards in order to ensure that AI is safe, lawful, accountable, fair, inclusive and in line with fundamental rights and freedoms –such as the Algorithm and IA Register from Amsterdam or Helsinki, or Barcelona’s Government measure for a municipal algorithms and data strategy for an ethical promotion of IA–.
DIGITAL RIGHTS, DATA AND PRIVACY
In cities, people, smart connected devices, sensors and objects produce, collect and transmit an ever-growing amount of personal and non-personal data. This means that the risks associated with the collection of this data have also grown substantially in recent years as pervasive computing becomes a reality. This phenomenon has led to new consequences –such as hyper-targeting through data analytics, facial recognition and individual profiling–, and has also highlighted the potential requirements for establishing regulatory frameworks to protect digital rights. Throughout this session, we will gain insights into actions, policies and initiatives working towards the reduction of inequalities caused by digitalization, deploying technology in a way that protects the privacy of citizens in the new era of the Internet and Artificial Intelligence. In this context, a rights-oriented understanding of privacy issues in the digital context is needed to guarantee enforceable entitlements to demand proactive protection.
UNPACKING THE USE OF AI: BIAS, GENDER, RACE AND POVERTY
Artificial intelligence is a fast-evolving and strategic technology with tremendous opportunities. However, some of its uses pose specific significant risks for social inclusion and fundamental rights and freedoms. Some studies have shown issues with AI such as bad data sets and real-world biases creeping into algorithms. As human intelligence is marked by intrinsic bias in decision-making, such characteristics can also be found in AI products that work with human-created intelligence. These phenomena of bias and discrimination (gender, race, etc.) are a threat to universal human rights, and above all, to concrete individuals exposed to harmful decision-making through automated systems. Throughout this session, we will explore more in-depth the challenges that the use of AI systems poses over its ethical judgment, equal protection, economic rights and basic freedom, and we will seek answers on how we can reverse these trends so that AI can be trusted.
DIGITAL PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURES: DATA AND SOFTWARE
Digital public infrastructures are the infrastructures that let us engage in public and civic life in digital spaces, as they include tools we all need to use in order to make digital spaces accessible and usable. Building safe and secure digital systems improve access to public services, helps us better understand and respond to the climate crisis, can mitigate and prevent future pandemics and can also be handy to close the digital divide. In this context, Barcelona, among many other public authorities, is striving to build public digital infrastructure that allows public administrations and services –including schools– to guarantee citizens’ right to privacy. In terms of digital empowerment of our societies, keeping an eye on digital sovereignty of digitally-mediated public infrastructures is crucial to secure public value for any service delivered by public authorities. This session will allow us to explore and discover different actions and initiatives that governments are carrying out in order to build a more equitable, open and safe digital commons for all.
Venue
EMAIL
dfs.technicaloffice@mobileworldcapital.com
PHONE
(+34) 93 487 08 17
ADDRESS
Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau, Calle de San Antoni Maria Claret, Barcelona, España
Gallery
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