UK Parliament launches inquiry into human rights and AI regulation

The UK Parliament Joint Committee on Human Rights has launched a new Inquiry and Call for Evidence to examine how human rights can be protected amidst the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). While AI technologies offer significant societal benefits, concerns persist about the potential to perpetuate biases, facilitate discrimination, and conflict with privacy and freedom of expression through increased surveillance. Furthermore, opaque AI systems could hinder individuals' ability to seek justice for breaches of human rights.

The inquiry will focus on three main areas. Firstly, the inquiry will investigate the impact of AI on individual human rights, specifically in areas such as privacy and data usage, discrimination and bias, and the effectiveness of remedies for human rights violations.

Secondly, the inquiry will assess the existing legal and regulatory framework. This includes evaluating whether current UK laws sufficiently protect human rights in relation to AI and whether the Government's AI Opportunities Action Plan robustly safeguards these rights.

Finally, the inquiry will explore potential changes to the legal and regulatory framework. This involves considering what future UK legislation would be needed to protect human rights, whether the same human rights standards should apply to both private and public AI users, and if different AI technologies require varied regulatory approaches. The Committee will also address accountability for AI-related human rights breaches, determining where liability should arise in the development, deployment, and use of AI. In addition, it will examine measures to ensure sufficient redress for individuals harmed by AI, how regulation can keep pace with evolving AI technology like agentic AI, and how to account for AI's international nature, including the malign use of AI by other regimes. The inquiry will also consider the impact of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, and draw lessons from other jurisdictions, such as the European Union.

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