“Made in Europe”: exporting European values to the peripheries through the regulation of Artificial Intelligence - an exploratory analysis of the case of Morocco.
Abstract: Much has been written about the transformative power of AI systems and how countries are racing for global AI dominance to reap the economic and geopolitical power expected to result. Nevertheless, this ‘race to AI’ is bringing forth a ‘race to AI regulation’ where a new playground for global regulatory competition seems to emerge. With the AI Act, the European Commission is introducing an extraterritorial regulatory framework for AI systems to ensure that systems placed on- and used within the European Union (EU) market comply with EU values. Notably, despite this being a good step in the right direction to protect fundamental rights - it remains a rather pompous and self-proclaimed aim to produce and foster universal AI systems that are ‘made in Europe’. Specifically, aware of the power of norms, the EU seems to strategically capitalise on the opportunity to spread its normative influence, export its values and promote its vested interests through regulating AI systems. Consequently, the question arises whether the AI Act can be perceived as a tool for Western normative dominance, as it denies the diversity of humankind’s ethical stances. Stepping outside of this self-referential Western point of view requires a view from elsewhere, which this thesis aims to accommodate by analysing the case of Morocco. To date, Morocco is unconsciously still tied to its colonial masters in Europe and is actively trying to independently boost its economic and social development through digital transformation – of which the national AI strategy is a prime example. However, being a postcolonial and a ‘periphery’ country, it will soon find itself at the receiving end of the EU’s dictum of what ‘ethical AI’ is – leaving no other choice than compliance considering its significant dependencies on the EU market. Therefore, the central thesis investigates whether the EU’s attempt to regulate AI through the AI Act can be charged with ‘normative imperialism’ when investigating Morocco's case. The aim is to conduct a literature review to locate the existing knowledge on this topic and to fill the cavity with qualitative semi-structured interviews covering different institutional perspectives in Morocco. The aim is to fill the void left by previous research on how the EU's normative imperialism, tied to its suppressed and colonial history of ‘peace’ and ‘prosperity’, continues to impact Global South countries to date through contemporary forms.
Author bios: Oumaima Hajri is a researcher and lecturer at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Her work focuses on the social impact of AI. For the Designing Responsible AI Media Applications project, she is investigating, in collaboration with media organisations in the Netherlands, how AI can be applied in a responsible manner. She also deals with regulations (such as the AI Act), in particular how ethical guidelines can make an important contribution in translating strategic interventions into practice. She is currently part of the first cohort of the MSt AI Ethics & Society at the University of Cambridge, mainly focusing on decolonization and demystification. Additionally, Oumaima co-founded the platform "AI Better World" to raise awareness, educate about and deconstruct AI.
Recorded Presentation | 26 April 2023
#Values #Colonialism #Law #Policymakers #Morocco #EU
