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Governing the automated welfare state: Translations between AI ethics and anti-discrimination regulation

Blom Lussi, Ellinor LU ; Larsson, Stefan LU ; Högberg, Charlotte LU orcid and Kaun, Anne (2024) In Nordisk välfärdsforskning / Nordic Welfare Research
Abstract
There is an increased demand for utilizing technological possibilities in the Nordic public sector. Automated decision-making (ADM) has been deployed in some areas towards that end. While it is linked to several benefits, research shows that the use of ADM, with elements of AI, also implicates risks of discrimination and unfair treatment, which has stimulated a flurry of normative guidelines. This article seeks to explore how a sample of these international high-level principled ideas on fairness translate into the specific governance of ADM in national public sector authorities in Sweden. It does so by answering the question of how ideas on AI ethics and fairness are considered in relation to regulation on anti-discrimination in Swedish... (More)
There is an increased demand for utilizing technological possibilities in the Nordic public sector. Automated decision-making (ADM) has been deployed in some areas towards that end. While it is linked to several benefits, research shows that the use of ADM, with elements of AI, also implicates risks of discrimination and unfair treatment, which has stimulated a flurry of normative guidelines. This article seeks to explore how a sample of these international high-level principled ideas on fairness translate into the specific governance of ADM in national public sector authorities in Sweden. It does so by answering the question of how ideas on AI ethics and fairness are considered in relation to regulation on anti-discrimination in Swedish public sector governance. By using a Scandinavian institutionalist approach to translation theory, we trace how ideas of AI governance and public sector governance translate into state authority practice. Specifically, regarding the definition of ADM, how AI has impacted it as both discourse and technology, and the ideas of “ethics” and “discrimination”. The results indicate that there is a variance in how different organizations understand and translate ideas on AI ethics and discrimination. These tensions need to be addressed in order to develop AI governance practices. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
in press
subject
keywords
automated decision-making, public s, automated decision-making, public sector governance, AI ethics, discrimination, fairness
in
Nordisk välfärdsforskning / Nordic Welfare Research
publisher
Universitetsforlaget AS
ISSN
2464-4161
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4e7898b5-edd9-4059-a34c-2a18d4b18575
date added to LUP
2024-01-17 10:11:37
date last changed
2024-01-17 10:59:37
@article{4e7898b5-edd9-4059-a34c-2a18d4b18575,
  abstract     = {{There is an increased demand for utilizing technological possibilities in the Nordic public sector. Automated decision-making (ADM) has been deployed in some areas towards that end. While it is linked to several benefits, research shows that the use of ADM, with elements of AI, also implicates risks of discrimination and unfair treatment, which has stimulated a flurry of normative guidelines. This article seeks to explore how a sample of these international high-level principled ideas on fairness translate into the specific governance of ADM in national public sector authorities in Sweden. It does so by answering the question of how ideas on AI ethics and fairness are considered in relation to regulation on anti-discrimination in Swedish public sector governance. By using a Scandinavian institutionalist approach to translation theory, we trace how ideas of AI governance and public sector governance translate into state authority practice. Specifically, regarding the definition of ADM, how AI has impacted it as both discourse and technology, and the ideas of “ethics” and “discrimination”. The results indicate that there is a variance in how different organizations understand and translate ideas on AI ethics and discrimination. These tensions need to be addressed in order to develop AI governance practices.}},
  author       = {{Blom Lussi, Ellinor and Larsson, Stefan and Högberg, Charlotte and Kaun, Anne}},
  issn         = {{2464-4161}},
  keywords     = {{automated decision-making; public s; automated decision-making; public sector governance; AI ethics; discrimination; fairness}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  publisher    = {{Universitetsforlaget AS}},
  series       = {{Nordisk välfärdsforskning / Nordic Welfare Research}},
  title        = {{Governing the automated welfare state: Translations between AI ethics and anti-discrimination regulation}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}