Technology and human rights: emerging risks for companies and boards

As Australia treads a rapid path towards becoming a leading digital economy, corporates are increasingly adopting emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), to assist with various business operations and functions.

But while novel technologies offer exciting commercial opportunities, they can also create new legal, reputational and human rights risks that companies and boards should be taking proactive steps to mitigate.

Directors and managers should understand the technology they are deploying in the business, in order to be able to assess and mitigate any risks arising from its use. These risks can be varied and in some cases extremely complex, requiring subject matter expert consideration of the technology and its impacts from the design stage through to end use.