The authors consider the breadth of Ombuds practice in Canada and draw some important conclusions about where the profession is headed. They make some especially compelling observations about the potential impact of technology:
Discussion in Victoria took on a futuristic tone in relation to technological change. The ascent of artificial intelligence means more decisions will be delegated to computers. In the future, it might fall to the ombuds to test the assumptions on which the algorithms are based. For example, will computers stress efficiency over fairness? It may seem expedient for the computer to accept a few unfair results for a greater good. Certain populations might end up disadvantaged if the algorithms prefer criteria that favours specific groups. This bias may be completely unintentional, but the differential outcomes clearly unfair.Technology will no doubt further alter the relationship citizens have with their governments including with respect to the ability of governments to raise revenues to support public service and the devolution of the role of the public sector in the protection of the privacy and regulation of online transactions and information sharing. For ombuds, these concerns could easily manifest in challenges to jurisdiction and capacity. How will agents of parliament compete with private-sector exploitation of our daily activities? In this scenario, individual liberty could be at risk. How do Canadian ombuds provide oversight or accountability in a globalized digital economy?
No comments:
Post a Comment