Amnesty International warns of the collapse of international law and the instrumentalization of AI

International amnesty has warned of the “terrible consequences” that the escalation of war conflicts all over the world and collapse of international lawto which the “rapid” progress will be added artificial intelligence, the consequences of which can be negative. In its annual report The situation of human rights in the worldthe NGO has given a less than hopeful reading of the current geopolitical situation.

He “bleak prospects‘ drawn by AI is explained by a frequent violation of the rules that states have imposed on themselves, in a context of growing inequality in which ‘superpowers compete for supremacy’ while the climate crisis worsens.

With regard to armed conflicts, Amnesty International has paid special attention to the situation therein Loopwhere the actions of Israel “Are warning signs of genocide“for the lack of action from their allieswhich he said only exacerbates “Israel’s blatant disregard for international law.” Agnes Callamardthe general secretary of the NGO.

Callamard emphasizes that the rules-based world order is “in danger of collapsing” precisely because of the actions or omissions of those who were “precisely the architects of the international legal order” created after the Second World War.

AI regrets that the conflict shows no signs of abating, but that “evidence of war crimes continues to pile up as the Israeli government flouts international law in Gaza,” adding to the “blatant use” of the US veto Gaza is added. the UN Security Council and the double standards of European countries, which express “well-founded protests against war crimes by Russia and Hamas, while supporting the actions of the Israeli and American authorities in Palestine.”

In the report, AI also points out the “egregious violation of established rules perpetrated by Russian forces” since their large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia continues “indiscriminate attacks on densely populated civilian areas” and on energy and grain export infrastructure.

The report details the actions against civilians Myanmarby the armed forces and related militias, which have caused more than a thousand murders in 2023 alone, and the civil war in Sudan, where the two opposing sides show ‘little interest in international humanitarian law’. This forgotten conflict has ensured that the the world’s largest displacement crisisforcing more than 8 million people to flee.

Technology as a tool for hatred and discrimination

In its extensive list of human rights violations, the NGO highlights the instrumentalization of technology, both new and existing, to generate “hatred, division and discrimination.” Take as an example the facial recognition to control public protests in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Brazil or India, and points once again to Israel in its control of the use of this technology in the West Bank busy, where it uses facial recognition to help maintain the apartheid system.

Technology is used not only to suppress protests, but also, unlawfully, to stop migration and control borders. This “perpetuates and reinforces discrimination, racism, and disproportionate and unlawful surveillance of racialized people.”

Meanwhile, the use of spyware such as Pegasus, especially against journalists and civil society activists. AI warns of the risks of not regulating its use, nor of generative artificial intelligence. Despite EU legislation on digital services, regulation has “remained largely stagnant”.

“We have seen how hate, discrimination and disinformation are amplified and spread by social media algorithms that are optimized to maximize ‘engagement’ above all else,” Callamard explains.

On the other side of the coin, Amnesty International reports an ‘unprecedented’ global mobilization, including protests across the planet calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza. Although these have not borne fruit, the NGO does mention other civil society achievements: the Taiwan Sexual Violence Prevention Act; the COP28 measures, and the freedom of Matiullah WesaAfghan education activist, after months of campaigning in his favor.

The NGO influences the collapse of a system supposedly based on international law. “Given the grim global situation, urgent action is needed to revitalize and renew international institutions designed to protect humanity. Steps should be taken to reform the UN Security Council so that permanent members cannot exercise their voting rights without any checks to ensure the protection of civilians. and strengthen their geopolitical alliances,” Callamard demands.