Issues related to privacy and security in the digital economy are central concerns to public policy makers, as workers and citizens react to the rapid introduction of big data collection and related artificial intelligence (AI). Confronted with forecasts that these technologies may affect nearly half of all jobs, workers worry about their employment and what skills they will need. People seek assurance that AI and automation will be introduced in a manner that ensures respect for the human integrity of workers and under a framework of accountability, while still delivering the productivity, safety and innovation benefits promised.
Exploring the main issues, and building on the 2017 “Hamburg Statement” of the Group of Twenty (G20) and the G20 Roadmap for Digitalisation, this paper recommends principles G20 leaders could use in developing an accountability framework. It also outlines two paths toward adopting such a framework, to enable the smoother and more socially acceptable introduction of big data and AI in the workplace.
