AI and public sector in Denmark

Speaker: Rikke Frank Jørgensen (The Danish Institute for Human Rights, Copenhagen)

Time: Thursday, 28 April 2022, 10:00 AM CET

In Denmark, the public administration relies heavily on the processing of vast quantities of data about the individual and increasingly uses AI models to identify specific areas of intervention, such as fraud or vulnerability, as part of its decision-making processes. The logic of data analytics and predictions go well in hand with digitalisation policies focused on public sector efficiency but risk undermining citizens right to transparency, privacy, and non-discrimination. Moreover, it shifts the power balance between citizens and public authorities by making citizens ever more transparent, and the decision-making processes still more difficult to challenge.

In the talk, I will present findings from a recent study on automated decision-making in the public sector in Denmark. I will address questions such as: In which ways are citizens right to privacy, non-discrimination, and transparency challenged by automated decision-making? What would a rights-based approach to automation within the public sector entail? and do we need new regulation to ensure that citizens agency and trust are sustained in the digital welfare state?

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The report is available here (in Danish): https://menneskeret.dk/udgivelser/naaralgoritmer-sagsbehandler-rettigheder-retssikkerhed-offentlige-myndigheders-brug 

Registration: https://forms.gle/SqSHZkjboQMguNNA6  

The seminar will be broadcasted via Zoom application. Participation is subject to prior registration. The Zoom link of the event will be sent to registered participants via email.

Dr Rikke Frank Jørgensen is a Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights focusing on the intersection between technology and human rights. Her most recent book (ed.), Human Rights in the Age of Platforms (MIT Press 2019) examines the human rights implications of the social web, through the lens of datafication, platforms, and human rights regulation. She also serves as external lecturer in privacy and information ethics at University of Copenhagen (Department of Communication). Besides her scholarly activities, Rikke has served as an adviser to the Danish Government, participated in Council of Europe´s Committee on Human Rights for Internet Users, and served on the advisory board of Privacy International, Ranking Digital Rights, and DataEthics.EU, among others.

Contact: Kitti Mezei mezei.kitti@tk.hu

Information about the seminar series: Marton Varju varju.marton@tk.hu