International Conference: Rethinking Social Justice in the Context of Artificial Intelligence: Key Challenges

This conference is organized in conjunction with the activities of the Social Justice and Artificial Intelligence Chair, established by Fondation Abeona, École normale supérieure (ENS-PSL) and the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technology (OBVIA). The event will present work of Karine Gentelet, the second Chairholder. It will bring together researchers, policy makers, and civil society leaders from around the world to discuss major challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI) in a social justice framework.

The conference will take place in person only in Paris (France)

Reflecting on both institutional and scientific perspectives, Dr Gentelet engages in a dialogue that seeks to define a pathway towards equity, justice, and diversity as well as to provide multifaceted and structural governance responses that promote social justice values within AI systems.

At the conference, we will begin by examining the elements that should be prioritized in order to link AI to human rights protection frameworks, with a view to highlighting how proposed regulations address the current dichotomy between Human Rights and AI. We will then review ongoing efforts to recognize AI’s human rights implications and consider solutions that seek to reverse the discrimination and invisibility of groups and communities that are being marginalized by biased AI systems. Finally, we will address topics ranging from power dynamics to social good to concrete implementations of responsible practices. Our aim is to emphasize the importance of citizen participation, not only in developing concrete responses to the systemic effects of AI, but also in our ability to prioritize a human rights-based approach.

Given its scientific orientation and practical prespective, this work will greatly benefit from the participation of public sector actors whose opinions, knowledge, and professional training will serve to enrich the debate on human rights in AI systems.

Preliminary Program

Social Justice and AI: Institutional Perspectives

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Opening Remarks by the Chair’s Partners

• Frédéric Worms, Director of the École normale supérieure (ENS-PSL)
• Anne Bouverot, President of the Fondation Abeona
• Lyse Langlois, Executive Director of the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technology (OBVIA)

Introduction on the Chair’s Works – Bridging Social Justice and Artificial Intelligence: Best Practices

• Karine Gentelet, Holder of the Social Justice and Artificial Intelligence Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the Université du Québec en Outaouais

Opening conference – Human Rights and Artificial Intelligence

• Rajat Khosla, Senior Director, Research, Advocacy and Policy at Amnesty International

What Regulations on AI for Human Rights and Social Justice?

Moderated by Anne Bouverot, President of the Fondation Abeona

• Nicolas Kanhonou, Director for Equality Promotion and Access to Rights,
  French Defender of Rights
• Yannick Meneceur, IA Advisor to Director of Information Society – Action against Crime, Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe
• Philippe-André Rodriguez, Deputy Director, Digital Inclusion Lab, Centre for International Digital Policy (IOL), Global Affairs Canada

Lunch

12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Social Justice and AI: Addressing the Challenges at the Intersection

1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Citizen Governance to Reverse Invisibility in Algorithms and Discrimination in Their Uses

• Karine Gentelet, Holder of the Chair on Social Justice and Artificial Intelligence and Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the Université du Québec en Outaouais

Reflections on Issues at the Intersection Between Social Justice and AI

Moderated by Léa Saint-Raymond, Director of the Observatory of Digital Humanities at ENS-PSL

• Doaa Abou Elyounes, Postdoctoral researcher at the Social Justice and Artificial Intelligence Chair and Berkman Klein Center
• Nancy Gros-Louis McHugh, Research Manager, First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission
• Sabelo Mhlambi, Fellow, Berkman Klein Center
• Wanda Muñoz, Representative of the campaign to ban killer robots in Mexico, Human Security Network in Latin America- SEHLAC
• Thierry Poibeau, Director of Research at CNRS and Deputy Director of the LATTICE Laboratory
• Nagla Rizk, Professor, American University in Cairo

Closing address
From 5:30 p.m.

• Frédéric Worms, Director of the École normale supérieure (ENS-PSL)

About the Chair

The Social Justice and Artificial Intelligence Chair – Fondation Abeona/ENS/OBVIA is a research chair that provides an opportunity for a visiting professor to develop works on artificial intelligence (AI) and social justice for one year and to interact with researchers from the Paris and Quebec ecosystems in the fields of AI, humanities, social sciences and health.

Karine Gentelet
Chairholder

Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the Université du Québec en Outaouais, Karine Gentelet is the second holder of the chair.

Her research interests and publications focus on the recognition of human rights of Indigenous Peoples, uses of digital technology and artificial intelligence to support social justice, the ethics of research in an Indigenous context, and the social responsibility of researchers.

She is co-director of a research axis on international relations, humanitarian action and human rights at OBVIA and she also leads a research project on marginalized populations and artificial intelligence within a broader international research project on the empowerment of judicial actors using artificial intelligence at the Cyberjustice Laboratory at Université de Montréal.

Professor Gentelet is also a researcher at the Centre interuniversitaire d’études et de recherches autochtones (CIERA), at the Centre de recherche en droit prospectif (CRDP) of Université de Montréal and at the Laboratoire de recherche sur les enjeux relatifs aux femmes autochtones – Mikwatisiw (UQAT). Finally, she has been strongly active in the promotion and defense of human rights with Amnesty International since 2007.

Chair’s Partners

The Fondation Abeona sponsors research to promote equity and fairness in artificial intelligence. We bring together business leaders, research institutions, policy makers and data scientists to advance best practices and raise awareness about risks and opportunities created by innovation in data science, algorithmics and machine learning.

The École normale supérieure is a world-class higher education and research institution that trains more than 2000 students, including 600 doctoral and 200 postdoctoral students, in careers in scientific research, higher and secondary education, as well as in the service of state administrations, local authorities, public institutions and companies. International, with 15 departments, 31 research units and more than a hundred research teams covering most disciplines, from humanities and social sciences to life and material sciences, the École normale supérieure is regularly awarded and now counts 14 Nobel Prizes and 10 Fields medals. ENS is committed to developing partnerships with institutions involved in equal opportunities activities.

The International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technology (OBVIA) is an open research network initiated by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec and which brings together the expertise of more than 260 researchers from the Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Engineering, and Health. They work in interdisciplinarity and intersectorality and produce knowledge to highlight crucial issues and identify plausible solutions for the problems and opportunities stemming from the rise of AI and digital technology. OBVIA is also a space for stakeholders, civil society and public decision-makers, allowing common discussion and reflection in the development and use of AI and digital technologies.