New Zealand human rights chief stresses urgent need for global AI governance

Doha, Qatar: Chief Human Rights Commissioner of New Zealand, Stephen Laurence Rainbow, underscored the urgent need for a global framework to address t...

Doha, Qatar: Chief Human Rights Commissioner of New Zealand, Stephen Laurence Rainbow, underscored the urgent need for a global framework to address the profound human rights implications of artificial intelligence (AI), during his participation at the international conference on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights in Doha.

Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the international conference on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights held in Doha, Rainbow said: “This conference is significant because it brings people together to discuss one of the greatest challenges of our time—artificial intelligence and technological disruption. AI is already impacting our lives across the globe in multiple ways, yet there is still no comprehensive framework to navigate both the challenges and opportunities it presents.” 

He commended Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) for its leadership in organizing the high-level event. 

“This initiative by the NHRC is an important contribution toward the global effort to safeguard human rights in the age of AI. The human rights dimension of artificial intelligence is central to this conference, and it’s why we are very pleased to be part of it, alongside national human rights institutions from around the world.” Reflecting on a session he participated in earlier, Rainbow noted that it provided a balanced view of the benefits and risks associated with AI. “Our panel discussed the positive potential of AI in areas such as healthcare and education, but also the serious risks it poses—particularly to personal privacy and other fundamental rights.

Human rights organizations are increasingly having to grapple with these emerging issues,” he explained. “I believe it was a very productive and insightful start to the conference.” Rainbow also praised Qatar’s NHRC for its international role in promoting human rights.  “It was the Qatar NHRC that brought us all together to engage in this timely and important dialogue,” he said.