Human Rights at Risk: Artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology in the arts

Book Your Place

Tickets free. Book here

Full Event Details

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and applications such as facial recognition technology (FRT) are on the rise.  

Throughout the world, AI tools are being used to produce news articles; to generate images, footage, sounds and voices; to change and recreate the appearance of actors; and to create art in all its forms.  

Meanwhile, facial recognition technology (FRT) – an application of AI – is being rolled out by police and private companies in countries across the world with serious implications for our fundamental rights. 

And this isn’t a dystopian future. It’s happening here, and it’s happening now. Musicians have boycotted US event venues which are using FRT to scan attendees at events. In Ireland, the Government wants to legalise Garda use of facial recognition technology, something the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has been campaigning hard against. The chilling effect of this technology could also severely impact people’s ability to protest.

What are the human rights implications of these technologies for artists and activists, who find themselves at the front lines of their introduction? 

What can artists and activists in Ireland expect in the near future, and what can we do to protect our rights?  

Join the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) for a compelling panel discussion with artists, campaigners and experts as we tackle these questions and more. 

Irish Council for Civil Liberties

Our mandate is to speak truth to power, even when it is unpopular or difficult. We work to ensure that everyone in Ireland can enjoy all of their rights, all of the time.

ICCL is a membership organisation and we are fully independent of government.

On 30 June 1976, Kader Asmal (later a member of Nelson Mandela’s Cabinet in a newly democratic South Africa) announced the establishment of ICCL: 

“This Council is being formed to promote human rights, protect civil liberties, recover them where they have been removed, and enlarge them where they have been diminished.”

Mary Robinson, a founding member of the ICCL (later President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) recalls the early days.

“Looking back on the early days of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties I recall the passion with which we addressed twin challenges: The need to create political and personal space in Ireland through reform of the Constitution and laws, and the need to affirm standards of civil liberties in the context of the increasing violence in Northern Ireland.”

Since then, ICCL has been at the forefront of every major rights advance in Irish society for over 40 years. We helped legalise homosexuality, divorce, and contraception. We drove police reform, defending suspects’ rights during dark times. ICCL is Ireland’s leading human rights organisation. 

Organisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):

Venue Information: