Technological advancements affect the future of human rights.
The evolution of technology will have inevitably profound implications for the human rights framework.
From a practical perspective, technology can help move the human rights agenda forward. For instance, the use of satellite data can monitor the flow of displaced people; artificial intelligence can assist with image recognition to gather data on rights abuses; and the use of forensic technology can reconstruct crime scenes and hold perpetrators accountable.
Yet, for the multitude of areas in which emerging technologies advance the human rights agenda, technological developments have equal capacity to undermine efforts. From authoritarian states monitoring political dissidents by way of surveillance technologies, to the phenomenon of “deepfakes” destabilizing the democratic public sphere, ethical and policy-oriented implications must be taken into consideration with the development of technological innovations.
Technological advancements also introduce new actors to the human rights framework. The movement has historically focused on the role of the state in ensuring rights and justice. Today, technological advancements and the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning, in particular, necessitate interaction, collaboration, and coordination with leaders from business and technology in addition to government.
The Carr Center's Technology and Human Rights Program brings together the Technology and Human Rights Fellowship, with a new cohort selected each academic year to perform research on the challenges of technology to the human rights framework. Additionally, the program hosts the Towards Life 3.0: Ethics and Technology in the 21st Century webinar series, which draws upon a range of scholars, tech leaders, and public interest technologists to address the ethical aspects of the long-term impact of AI on society and human life.
A new sub-theme of the Technology and Human Rights Fellowship gives special focus to research on "Surveillance Democracy or Capitalism?," a cohort that connects fellows' projects to the research in Shoshana Zuboff's 2019 book, The Age Surveillance Capitalism, and Mathias Risse’s 2023 book, Political Theory of the Digital Age. This portion of the Technology and Human Rights Fellowship is co-directed by Mathias Risse and Shoshana Zuboff.
Our Technology and Human Rights Fellows
Head of Product Policy & Partnerships
DeepMind
Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Business Ethics
University of St. Gallen
DPhil Candidate
Oxford Internet Institute
Founder and Executive Director
Surveillance Technology Oversight Project
Associate Professor of Law
Buckinghamshire New University
Founder and Executive Director
Localization Lab
Criminal Defense Lawyer
LL.M. Candidate, Harvard Law School
Postdoctoral Scholar
University of Cambridge
Doctoral Candidate in Philosophy
Harvard University
Associate Professor
University of Cambridge
Junior Research Fellow
University of Cambridge
Regional Director
Chilean National Human Rights Institution
David and Elaine Potter Associate Professor
University of Cambridge
Former Member of Parliament
South Africa