PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE IN LIGHT OFTHE EUROPEAN UNION'S ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ACT: AHUMAN-RIGHTS-BASED ANALYSIS OF THE RISK-BASEDREGULATORY MODEL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46763/Schlagwörter:
EU AI Act, Fundamental Rights, Human Rights-Based Approach, International Human Rights Law, Risk-Based Regulation, Brussels Effect.Abstract
Technological advancements today have initiated a process of digital
transformation that profoundly impacts social structures and individuals'
positions within society. At the heart of this transformation lie artificial
intelligence systems, which offer efficiency and innovation on one hand,
while posing significant risks to fundamental human rights, privacy, and
democratic values on the other. As algorithmic decision-making
increasingly shapes individuals' rights and freedoms, serious questions
arise about the adequacy of existing human rights regulation. The
European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) is the first
comprehensive legal framework aimed at regulating AI while protecting
fundamental rights through a risk-based approach. Adopting a humanrights-based approach (HRBA) as its principal analytical lens, and
drawing secondarily on theories of precautionary risk regulation and
digital constitutionalism, this study examines the AI Act's risk-based
model and analyses the threats of algorithmic discrimination, mass
surveillance and democratic erosion that AI systems pose. The article
further assesses the compatibility of the AI Act with the European
Convention on Human Rights, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the
European Union, the Council of Europe Framework Convention on
Artificial Intelligence, and the broader United Nations human rights
framework, before evaluating whether the EU's regulatory influence is
likely to generate a global standard through the so-called Brussels Effect
Downloads
Literaturhinweise
Alexy, R. (2002). A theory of constitutional rights (J. Rivers, Trans.). Oxford
University Press.
Barocas, S., & Selbst, A. D. (2016). Big data's disparate impact. California Law
Review, 104(3), 671–732.
Bradford, A. (2020). The Brussels effect: How the European Union rules the world.
Oxford University Press.
Bradford, A. (2023). Digital empires: The global battle to regulate technology. Oxford
University Press.
Chambers and Partners. (2026). Artificial intelligence 2026 – Canada: Trends and
developments. Chambers and Partners Global Practice Guides.
Council of Europe. (2024). Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and
Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (Council of Europe Treaty
Series No. 225). Council of Europe.
De Gregorio, G. (2022). Digital constitutionalism in Europe: Reframing rights and
powers in the algorithmic society. Cambridge University Press.
European Commission. (n.d.). AI Act. Shaping Europe's Digital Future.
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/regulatory-framework-ai
European Parliament and Council. (2024). Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 laying down
harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act). Official
Journal of the European Union, L 2024/1689, 12 July 2024.
Florea, A. M. (2022). Artificial intelligence & human rights in the European Union.
Law Review [Revista de Drept], 12(Special Issue), 80–90.
Green, B. (2022). The flaws of policies requiring human oversight of government
algorithms. Computer Law & Security Review, 45, 105681.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clsr.2022.105681
Gvaramadze, T. (2024). Human rights and artificial intelligence. Journal of Law
(TSU), 2024(2), 124–139.
Hilliard, A., Gulley, A., Kazim, E., & Koshiyama, A. S. (2026). Artificial intelligence
policy worldwide: A comparative analysis. Royal Society Open Science, 13(2),
242234. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.242234
Hoxhaj, O., Halilaj, B., & Harizi, A. (2023). Ethical implications and human rights
violations in the age of artificial intelligence. Balkan Social Science Review,
22, 153–170.
Kan, C. H. (2024). Artificial intelligence (AI) in the age of democracy and human
rights: Normative challenges and regulatory perspectives. International Journal
of Eurasian Education and Culture, 9(25), 145–166.
http://dx.doi.org/10.35826/ijoecc.1825
Kroll, J. A., Huey, J., Barocas, S., Felten, E., Reidenberg, J., Robinson, D., & Yu, H.
(2017). Accountable algorithms. University of Pennsylvania Law Review,
165(3), 633–705.
Leslie, D., Burr, C., Aitken, M., Cowls, J., Katell, M., & Briggs, M. (2021). Artificial
intelligence, human rights, democracy, and the rule of law: A primer. Council
of Europe.
Marchenko, A. Y., & Entin, M. L. (2022). Artificial intelligence and human rights:
What is the EU's approach? Digital Law Journal, 3(3), 43–57.
https://doi.org/10.38044/2686-9136-2022-3-3-43-57
McCrudden, C. (2008). Human dignity and judicial interpretation of human rights.
European Journal of International Law, 19(4), 655–724.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ejil/chn043
OHCHR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights].
(2021). The right to privacy in the digital age (A/HRC/48/31). United Nations
Human Rights Council. https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/48/31
Rotenberg, M. (2025). Introductory note to Framework Convention on Artificial
Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (Council of
Europe). International Legal Materials, 64, 859–902.
Selbst, A. D., & Barocas, S. (2018). The intuitive appeal of explainable machines.
Fordham Law Review, 87(3), 1085–1139.
Sunstein, C. R. (2005). Laws of fear: Beyond the precautionary principle. Cambridge
University Press.
United Nations. (1966). International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. United
Nations Treaty Series, 999, 171. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instrumentsmechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights
Wagner, B., Kettemann, M. C., Vieth-Ditlmann, K., & Montgomery, S. (Eds.).
(2022). Research handbook on human rights and digital technology (2nd ed.).
Edward Elgar Publishing.
Zuiderveen Borgesius, F. J., Möller, J., Kruikemeier, S., Ó Fathaigh, R., Irion, K.,
Dobber, T., Bodó, B., & de Vreese, C. H. (2018). Online political
microtargeting: Promises and threats for democracy. Utrecht Law Review,
14(1), 82–96. https://doi.org/10.18352/ulr.420
