A 11 – Initiative for Economic and Social Rights representative Gorica Nikolin took part in the closing conference of the Diversifair Project in Brussels, an Erasmus+ initiative addressing the impact of artificial intelligence on human lives.
Our communications associate participated in a panel discussion on the latest report by Eticas Foundation, which covers several examples of successfully conducted audits of AI tools used in public administration. Eticas Foundation has extensive experience in conducting audits in situations where access to full information about AI technologies is not possible – when authorities withhold such information from the public.
The full report on these audits and cases from around the world is available for download HERE.
Specifically, Nikolin presented the significant experience of The A 11 Initiative in researching the impact of the Social card law on Serbia’s poorest population.
As she emphasized, the Social card system represents the most harmful form of a still largely unknown algorithmic system currently operating through legislation, which has pushed every fifth beneficiary of financial social assistance out of the welfare system since 2022.
The audit of this tool used by the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, conducted jointly by The A 11 Initiative and Eticas Foundation, pointed to a non-transparent system of semi-automated decision-making on social benefits that is prone to errors and omissions.
Social workers, Nikolin noted, are becoming increasingly excluded from decision-making processes within their field of work and do not have a direct, timely, and transparent opportunity to intervene in cases of such systemic errors.
As presented during the conference, the Social card system demonstrates the harmful impact that modern AI tools can have on the lives of marginalized communities, highlighting the need for stronger monitoring of public authorities in their management and use of artificial intelligence tools, both now and in the future.
Conference participants were also introduced to the website antisocialcards.org, where The A 11 Initiative documents the experiences of affected beneficiaries, as well as steps taken within its advocacy initiative calling for the withdrawal of the Law on Social Cards. This advocacy initiative is ongoing.
We would like to thank Gemma Galdon Clavell, President of Eticas Foundation, for the invitation to participate in presenting these highly important findings on the impact of artificial intelligence on people’s well-being.
