As global leaders meet at the AI summit in Paris, we are calling on the UK government to urgently develop and adopt a citizen-led UK declaration of digital rights and principles (AI race must be led by ‘western, liberal, democratic’ countries, says UK minister, 10 February).
We agree with the science, innovation and technology secretary, Peter Kyle, when he says: “Government does have agency in how technology is developed … We need to use that agency to reinforce our democratic principles, our liberal values and our democratic way of life.”
We welcome the government’s approach to unlocking the economic benefits of AI through the recent AI opportunities plan, but we also need to ensure that our rights and freedoms as UK citizens are protected in digital spaces. In the past two years, countries around the globe have adopted frameworks of digital rights. We must not be left behind.
We are asking the government to:
• Invite the public to have their say in a deliberative process that will shape the declaration.
• Establish a national digital rights network, including the diversity of civil society; legal experts and academics; tech companies and industry representative bodies, to guide the declaration’s development and ensure policy reflects the values of UK citizens.
• Adopt the declaration and integrate digital rights into future policy decisions.
The declaration would not be legally binding, but would provide cohesive and foundational principles to guide policymaking. By developing this, the UK can build trust in our emerging digital policies and help responsible innovation to drive growth that benefits us all.
Polly Curtis CEO, Demos; Prof Robert Trager Co-director, Oxford Martin School AI governance initiative; Prof Gina Neff Executive director, Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, University of Cambridge; Maeve Walsh Director, Online Safety Act Network; Jim Killock Executive director, Open Rights Group; Dr Jeni Tennison Executive director, Connected by Data
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