Privacy regulators seek to work together to address AI issues
Tuesday 20 June 2023, 6:59AM
By Office of the Privacy Commissioner
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Privacy regulators across the Asia Pacific region want more cross-border cooperation when it comes to dealing with artificial intelligence (AI).
The comments were made at last week’s Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) forum in Mexico.
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster agrees and wants greater scrutiny of AI and the evolving technology's impacts on privacy.
"By working together, regulators can more effectively hold organisations operating across country borders accountable within the requirements of the existing law.
"This will encourage potential users of AI to pause and reflect before they adopt new or evolving technologies.
"This will give policy makers more space to determine whether and what new regulation is required to help make sure AI is safe to use and used safely."
Mr Webster says working together allows regulators to take a united stance.
"It means we can make sure privacy rights are protected when it comes to the expected adoption of AI across much of society.
At the two-day forum, privacy regulators put tech companies and those organisations that are using these new technologies on notice.
Given the increasingly significant effect AI is already having in many countries, regulators called on private and public sector organisations to make sure they worked within the existing law.
"Just because this is an evolving technology doesn't mean existing privacy laws don’t apply to it. They do. Our own law in New Zealand is technology neutral, which means our Act adapts to developments in technology. AI users and developers need to make sure they are compliant with privacy law.
"People who suffer harm because their personal information is used by AI technology in ways that breach our privacy law should complain to our Office in the usual way.