Personal privacy and human rights in the age of AI

Artificial intelligence is permeating Australian society. From social media algorithms affecting the way we vote, to websites that harvest and sell our data, we are interacting with these technologies in increasingly personal ways. The potential for risk of harm to our human rights is significant, and we don’t yet have the right safeguards in place.

In this thought-provoking lecture, Sophie will outline how governments, including in Australia, are attempting to grapple with one of the most complex policy challenges of our time.

Join us for what promises to be a fascinating discussion on the impact of AI and digital surveillance on our human rights, and what regulatory safeguards we need to protect them, followed by audience Q&A.

Sophie Farthing is head of the Policy Lab at the Human Technology Institute (HTI) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). A human rights policy lawyer, Sophie has expertise in policy development at the intersection of human rights and new and emerging technologies. She is currently leading HTI’s project on the Future of AI Regulation.

Prior to joining HTI, Sophie was the Senior Policy Adviser to the Australian Human Rights Commissioner, leading the Human Rights and Technology Project at the Australian Human Rights Commission from 2017 to 2021. Sophie has worked in legal policy roles at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in Sydney, at Liberty (National Council for Civil Liberties) in the United Kingdom, and was appointed the Research Assistant to Baroness Hale of Richmond in the United Kingdom Supreme Court. She has a Masters of Human Rights Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and bachelor degrees in Social Work (Hons) and Law from the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

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