"Dataetik handler også om den måde, vi opfatter brugeren og mennesket, vores demokrati og vores samfund på." / "Data ethics is also about how we perceive the user and the human being, our democracy, and our society."

In this episode, we dive into the complexities of data ethics with Gry Hasselbalch, a leading expert on the topic. With experience shaping EU regulations on data and AI ethics, she shares insights on why human values must remain at the core of digital development.

We explore the principle of “humans at the center” and why people should be seen as more than just data points or system users. Gry discusses how artificial intelligence and big data challenge this idea and why human interests must take priority over commercial or institutional goals.

Here are our hosts' key takeaways:

Humans

• When we talk about data ethics we need to relate to a value set - in out case a European value set, based on human rights.
• Data Ethics is built around humans - a human-centric principle. That means that human interests are always prioritized, above organizational interests, commercial interests, or machine interests.
• User is not enough if we talk about human in the center: this will mean different things once the discussion includes AI.
• We need to talk about the whole human, not just the user or the data about the human.
• Systems have an influence on our life, and therefore the human needs to be seen as a holistic being.

Regulations

• EU is seen as a «regulatory superpower» that has an ethical starting point when regulating.
• All cultures will have different interpretation and starting point of what ethics means.
• But through history we have been able to agree on an ethical baseline, like the charts of human rights.
• Human dignity is a central part of what ethics mean internationally.
• Regulation is not everything - remember that regulation happens due to an identified need.
• Regulations and laws are a guideline, but they do not cover (and cannot cover) the entire topic of data ethics.
• To ensure a value based approach to data handling, we need to go beyond regulations - talk about this as a societal challenge.

Socio-technical

• Technology is not neutral - it is developed, applied within a certain cultural setting.
• Technical systems are part of society as much as society is part of the technical systems we develop and use.
• Maybe we should rather talk about «socio-technical infrastructure».
• There is a dichotomy in talking about data as something valuable and at the same time as a liability.
• Data ethics can be viewed as a competitive advantage, a way to induce trust and better an organizations reputation.

AI and ethics

• AI is accelerating the need for ethical data decisions.
• AI is not created out of the blue, it is very much based on our data, our societal norms, developed by humans.
• AI is becoming a solution for «everything» - but what does that nean for human-machine relationship?
• AI is a tool, not a solution.
• What interests are pushing AI and what impact does AI have on our social systems and our culture?

Data Ethics of Power - A Human Approach in the Big Data and AI Era

Data Ethics - The New Competitive Advantage

Human Power - Seven Traits for the Politics of the AI Machine Age