Well for me, human rights mean good government. It means a system of justice
where people can get a fair hearing in the courts, it means free speech, a free
press, and also means governments delivering services in ways that respect
the dignity of people and provide them the best quality health and schools.
The human rights approach to health was enshrined in the founding document of
the World Health Organisation, which was about 70 years ago. We still have
billions of people who don't have access to health care - safe, effective, affordable
health care - and don't have the highest attainable standards of health.
In artificial intelligence I don't think people really thought too much about
human rights until very recently, and now we're handing over responsibility to
machines we're discovering that that actually comes with some severe
consequences. Whether you get the loan, whether you get the job, and even in some
cases whether you actually get locked up, by a machine that makes the decision.
So we're realising that we have to worry about the fairness, the transparency, all
the sorts of questions that we used to think about other humans acting on us.
Electronic waste is something that's been a massive burden for communities
globally, but I think the developing world, particularly where people are from
disadvantaged communities, have faced the brunt of a lot of the e-waste that ends
up in their backyard. That means that to be able to use e-waste in a meaningful
manner, the only solution that they see is pretty much burning a lot of these
types of waste materials to earn a living. I think the fact that they
are now almost stuck in a corner, where the only way to earn a decent living has
been through unsafe practices, is to me, you know, a massive challenge for us as
global citizens. Having a variety of views on a topic is so informative and
such a great way to get a new perspective. Artists and designers and
creative thinkers can find new ways to address and shape and tackle some of the
big questions of our day, including these questions around human rights.
I think universities have got a really special role when it comes to
human rights. So much about human rights are subject to partisanship, political
interest, vested business interests and the like. Universities can be independent
and have a fixed perspective on the people involved. They can look for
solutions free of bias and other forms of influence, and they can really get to
the heart of the problem to solve big national and global problems in a way
that safeguard and protect the community. One example that I feel very passionate
about is the use of autonomous weapons. That we will be handing over the
decision of life or death to machines, and whether that's morally acceptable
and under what safeguards that that happens. I, and many of my
colleagues, have signed an open letter to the United Nations, calling for a
pre-emptive ban on this use of technology. We are developing the world's
first solution that allows us to produce valuable materials from electronic waste.
Metallic and nonmetallic materials that basically lay the
foundation upon which, you know, the world can deliver new technologies is
something that I think is going to be so crucial in actually changing the way we
see we can make a difference to people's lives globally. Bringing together some of
the smartest people around the university into this new center is such
a great idea. Being able to have artists working with lawyers, social
scientists and a whole range of different times is such a great
opportunity, When I first learnt about the group here at the University of New
South Wales, I saw there were so many opportunities that taking that human
rights perspective, understanding the legislative components, that could really
facilitate the work that we were doing within the George Institute. And that
the potential for us to do more was just increased many times over. So I imagine
that other groups are feeling much the same way - that bringing in
different perspective has the opportunity to really enhance the work we do.