Accelerating AI Ethics AI and Human Rights: Professor Yuval Shany on AI, Law, and Global Accountability
Aug 1, 2025
In a thought-provoking discussion, Professor Yuval Shany, Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in Public International Law and former UN Human Rights Committee Chair, dives into the intersection of AI and human rights. He argues for an AI Bill of Rights, highlighting the challenges of regulating powerful tech companies and the need for updated legal frameworks. Shany emphasizes human rights as enablers for safer AI innovation and stresses the importance of civic engagement to address AI harms. His insights aim to create a more accountable and ethical AI landscape.
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UN Experience Driving Practical Human Rights Work
- Yuval Shany described his UN Human Rights Committee role reviewing state reports and hearing individual cases.
- He used general comments to guide states on implementing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Threefold Challenge Of Applying Human Rights To AI
- AI governance raises three clusters of challenge: outdated norms, state interest in power, and dominant private actors.
- These make applying mid-20th century human rights treaties to modern AI both conceptually and practically difficult.
Need For A Mid-Level AI Bill Of Rights
- Existing initiatives are either too abstract or too technical and miss a mid-level implementable framework.
- An AI Bill of Rights could bridge principles and concrete administrative obligations for states and companies.
