Human Rights by Design for AI Technologies: Towards Outlining and Operationalizing an Emerging Field of Research and Practice

Abstract

The notion of human rights has gained traction in the context of complex sociotechnical systems, especially those involving Artificial Intelligence (AI), as it provides an established normative baseline for enforcement, rather than the existing myriad of vague ethical frameworks, codes of conduct, and guidelines. This movement has led to the emergence of the concept of Human Rights by Design (HRbD), denoting that the design of policies, technologies, and services ought to respect human rights from the outset and by default. To better shape this emerging field, this paper draws on existing academic literature to propose a definition of HRbD, articulate principles, and identify effective engineering strategies. Furthermore, an approach for operationalizing HRbD is presented, grounded on industry-academia collaboration and Participatory Action Research (PAR). This work also connects the field of HRbD to important initiatives, such as the European AI Act and ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI, and details the practical operationalization of HRbD across multiple PAR case studies as part of the researchers' ongoing work. In conclusion, this work advocates embedding HRbD into the design of new and existing AI systems, highlighting the important role of software engineers in the responsible development of technology.