Inaugural Technology & Human Rights Fellows Publish White Papers
The Human Rights By Design Fellowship program, sponsored by Taraaz and the CITRIS Policy Lab, is pleased to announce the publication of two white papers by our first cohort of fellows.
Taraaz, a Santa Cruz-based non-profit organization working at the intersection of technology and human rights partnered with the CITRIS Policy Lab, an interdisciplinary research initiative at the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS) that supports interdisciplinary tech policy research, to fund and mentor two graduate fellows who conducted independent research projects on the human rights implications of emerging technology. The Program is founded on the idea that technologies are not built neutrally. From the early stages of developing a technology to deployment and maintenance, decisions are made that can and should be informed by a human rights-driven perspective. The goal is to help to design technologies ethically, deploy them responsibly, and advocate for or against those deployments effectively.
The two projects, each addressing timely and important issues, complement one another well. Brie McLemore, a Ph.D. student in the Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program at UC Berkeley, studied the inequitable distribution of benefits and risks of smart cities in the United States. McLemore writes, in summary of her work:
“Smart city initiatives are driven by technological innovations that utilize interconnected networks, algorithms, and AI to predict future trends and suggest interventions. These technologies often have the potential to collect massive amounts of data, leaving many residents open to the potential of increased surveillance and cyberattacks. Cities are often not transparent about the risks these technologies pose to residents. Further, many of the promises of smart city technologies, such as improved efficiency, equity, and environmental benefits, are often not realized due to the complexities of the data collected and the failure of cities to hire experienced personnel. Due to these limitations, the proposed benefits in smart cities are often lacking yet the negative consequences of surveillance and cybersecurity attacks are prominent. My policy proposal seeks to remedy this occurrence by providing concrete recommendations for how smart cities can be transparent, accountable, and equitable when adopting new technologies.”
By studying smart city developments in San Diego, New Orleans, Oakland, Portland, and Chicago, McLemore provides policy recommendations that include: working toward more meaningful engagement with residents, the hiring of independent auditors and culturally competent staff, not unnecessarily retaining personal information, prioritizing the needs of historically marginalized communities, and building “consentful tech.” Read McLemore’s paper, “When the Streetlights Come On: How “Smart Cities” are Becoming a Surveillance State.”
Our second fellow, Ifejesu Ogunleye, recently received her Master’s from UC Berkeley’s Rausser College of Natural Resources. Ogunleye’s project focused on the role of AI in the economic development of Nigeria. Based on a study of the Nigerian healthcare, agriculture, and energy sectors, Ogunleye’s paper “highlights technological innovations that can address some of the development challenges (such as increasing rates of poverty, high maternal mortality rates, low levels of energy access and decaying physical infrastructure) faced by the country; and identifies areas of opportunity driven by the rapid population growth, large potential labor force, and high youth population.” She concludes by establishing “an ethical framework to guide the development and deployment of AI technologies in a sustainable and inclusive manner.”
By combining the study of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and human rights-based frameworks, Ogunleye’s recommendations include increased investment in the Nigerian educational system “by embedding ICT infrastructure into primary and secondary education to encourage digital literacy and an interest in STEM disciplines from an early age” as well as increased investment in R&D relating to social and economic issues; expanding the country’s broadband network; and providing increased opportunities for work-based training among Nigeria’s labor force. Read Ogunleye’s paper, “Artificial Intelligence for Economic Development in Nigeria.”
The CITRIS Policy Lab and Taraaz would like to take this opportunity to thank our inaugural cohort of fellows for their impactful work.
