Public administrations are in the process of transformation. The use of automated systems or algorithms to support decision making is becoming more and more common. Through this podcast, we have learned about specific cases of automated systems in Spain that local and state governments have been using for years.
In this final chapter we open a space to reflect on where the automation of the public sector is headed. We also delve into issues such as the ethical and democratic limits of algorithms; the need to mitigate the biases inherent in these systems; and the challenges of governments in managing increasingly complex and datafied societies.
We hear from philosopher and essayist Daniel Innerarity and data scientist and artificial intelligence (AI) expert Ricardo Baeza-Yates.
The European Commission’s proposed regulation for the responsible use of AI can mark a milestone for the future of automated tools. Europe wants to increase control over algorithms that have a potential risk to people’s lives and rights. And, where possible, the regulation seeks to promote transparency and accountability around them.
With tech journalist, Karma Peiró, we analysed the proposed regulation. And we also focus on the initiatives that have risen from civil society in recent years that demand a more ethical use of algorithms.
At last, we sit down with Tanya Álvarez, researcher at Digital Future Society, as she talks about the main conclusions of her work. We also discuss the need to open the public debate around these systems and hear from the people who are directly impacted by these systems.
All these efforts have a final mission to help governments and societies, to build algorithms based on and designed for the common good.