CPDP 2023 Panel – Achieving Social Justice for Data Workers: Is There a Role For Harmonised Standards?

CPDP 2023 Panel – Achieving Social Justice for Data Workers: Is There a Role For Harmonised Standards?

Date: 26 May 2023
Time: 08:45 CET // 2:45 AM ET

Organised by: European Trade Union Institute (EU)

Moderator: Jill Toh, University of Amsterdam (NL)

Speakers:

• Antonio Casilli, Télécom Paris, Polytechnic Institute of Pa- ris (FR);
• Laurens Hernalsteen, CEN CENELEC (EU);
• Iverna McGowan, Centre for Democracy and Technology (BE);
• Aida Ponce Del Castillo, European Trade Union Institute (BE)

The development of a “human-centered” AI tends to overlook a component of AI development: data production. Machine learning data sets are used to develop and train algorithms. The resulting algorithms are then used for content moderation, facial recognition, or to train self-driving cars, etc. The amount of data needed for this, has to be sorted, cleaned, annotated, labelled. These tasks are far from automated: they are outsourced to manual labor in countries where wages and working conditions are low. From a data justice perspective, is this reality considered when thinking about regulating AI? Issues related to the exploitation of labour, social justice and power remain unaddressed. In the EU, the 8 legal requirements in the draft AI Act will be operationalized through harmonized standards. We will reflect about the ability of standardization committees to address the issue of data justice.

• In the debate about how best to regulate AI, is there space for a “social and data justice” perspective?
• Should the draft AI Act address this issue? In what way?
• Is there a possibility in the standardization committees to address theissue of data justice for data workers?
• Should standardization bodies be “revisited” in their membership, mandate and production process in order to address this issue?