Bots, Artificial Intelligence and the General Data Protection Regulation: Asking the Right Questions

• Author: Samuel Wrigley
• Position: MA (Oxon), MICL (Helsinki), LLD candidate, University of Helsinki
• Pages: 199-211

© 2019 Sam Wrigley and Dublin University Law Society

BOTS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE

GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION:

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

SAM WRIGLEY

Introduction

In recent years, technologies relating to artificial intelligence (‘AI’) have

re-entered public debate. In addition to renewed academic and industry

research into the development and application of these technologies,

there is an ongoing discussion about their ethical, practical and legal

implications. These discussions are taking place on multiple levels, with

recent developments including an open letter signed by thousands of

people (including a significant number of high-profile AI researchers,

academics and professionals),

1

the creation of an EU high-level expert

group,

2

and research efforts made by individual states.

3

While these

debates sometimes outstrip the science of today,

4

there are very

important debates which need to be had about how and where society

should apply the increasing technological sophistication.

 MA (Oxon), MICL (Helsinki), LLD candidate, University of Helsinki. An earlier draft of

this paper was presented at the Trinity College Dublin Law Student Colloquium 2019 and

I would like to thank those who attended the session for their comments, particularly the

chair, Dr Eoin O’Dell. The usual disclaimers apply.

1

Future of Life Institute, ‘An Open Letter: Research Priorities for Robust and Beneficial

Artificial Intelligence’ (Futureoflife.org)

accessed 7 January 2019.

2

Commission, ‘High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence’ (European

Commission)

artificial-intelligence> accessed 7 January 2019.

3

The Future of Life Institute has compiled a list of national AI strategies from various

countries. See Future of Life Institute, ‘National and International AI Strategies’

(Futureoflife.org) < https://futureoflife.org/national-international-ai-strategies/> accessed

21 February 2019.

4

See, for example, Janosch Delcker, ‘Europe divided over robot “personhood”’ (Politico,

11 April 2018) ai-artificial-

intellige nce-personhood/> accessed 7 January 2019.