Great prompt, Hugh. The Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment (FRIA) under Article 27 of the EU AI Act is a powerful tool for identifying and protecting the rights of individuals affected by high-risk AI systems. Here’s how it works and what rights it safeguards:
🛡️ Key Rights Protected by the EU AI Act via FRIA
When conducting a FRIA, deployers must assess how an AI system could impact the following fundamental rights:
- Right to human dignity
Ensures AI systems do not dehumanize or degrade individuals. - Right to non-discrimination
Protects against algorithmic bias based on race, gender, age, disability, etc. - Right to privacy and data protection
Evaluates how personal data is used, stored, and protected. - Freedom of expression and information
Ensures AI does not suppress speech or manipulate access to information. - Right to good administration
Guarantees fair, transparent, and accountable decision-making by public bodies using AI. - Access to justice and remedies
Individuals must be able to challenge decisions made by AI systems and seek redress.
🧾 What a FRIA Must Include
Deployers of high-risk AI systems (especially public bodies or private entities providing public services) must document:
- Purpose and context of AI use
- Groups likely to be affected
- Specific risks of harm to those groups
- Human oversight measures
- Mitigation steps if risks materialize
- Governance and complaint mechanisms
This assessment must be completed before first use and updated as needed. Results are reported to the market surveillance authority, and the EU AI Office will provide a standardized template.
🧭 Why It Matters
The FRIA isn’t just paperwork—it’s a safeguard against invisible harms. It forces organizations to think critically about how their AI systems might infringe on rights and to build in protections from the start. It’s a shift from reactive to proactive governance.
If you’d like, I can walk you through a mock FRIA for a specific AI use case—say, facial recognition in public spaces or automated hiring tools. Just name the scenario.
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