What risks do emerging technologies like the Metaverse and Empathic AI pose? While most of us are aware of data privacy and manipulation risks, we tend to think of them in the context of known technologies like social media. What happens when the tech becomes more immersive? The answer is that areas like human rights come under threat. On this episode, I’m joined by Kate Jones, an Associate Fellow at Chatham House, an independent policy institute. She began her career as a government lawyer and became a diplomat before developing an interest in human rights and emerging technologies. In her research, Kate explores topics such as governance of new technologies, the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and the prevention of online harms and political manipulation.

In a wide-ranging discussion, Kate and I explore:

* How her career took her from the law, to diplomacy and onto the risks of emerging tech
* The Metaverse and the rationale for regulation in emerging tech;
* The need for governance over the deployment of emerging tech;
* Human rights: what they are, how they are sadly misunderstood and how the human rights movement is shooting itself in the foot;
* AI, ethics and human rights
* The risks of empathic AI
* The future of managing the risks of emerging tech
* The relevance of ESG to emerging managing emerging tech risk; and
* The role investors can play in resolving this.

To find out more about Kate, visit her website: https://katejones.uk/

For more on her work with Chatham House: https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-people/kate-jones

To read her paper on Online Disinformation and Political Discourse: Applying a Human Rights Framework
: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2019/11/online-disinformation-and-political-discourse-applying-human-rights-framework

During our discussion, we also talk about:

The article that Kate wrote on the importance of regulating the Metaverse: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/the-metaverse-like-regulating-social-media-but-on-steroids/

The Metaverse:
https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-the-metaverse
https://www.vice.com/en/article/93bmyv/what-is-the-metaverse-internet-technology-vr
https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlovich/2022/05/11/what-is-the-metaverse-and-why-should-you-care/

The EU Digital Services Act: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act-package

GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation: https://gdpr-info.eu/

The UK Human Rights Act: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/human-rights/human-rights-act

The UN Human Rights Council Panel on Disinformation & Human Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2022/06/high-level-panel-discussion-countering-negative-impact


Caroline Criado Perez’s Invisible Women: https://carolinecriadoperez.com/book/invisible-women/


The UN Sustainable Development Goals: https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Empathy in AI: https://www.kairos.com/blog/empathy-in-ai-series-part-1-what-is-empathy