A global and collective effort to embrace technologies in a human-centric way

On 18th - 19th November 2024, the EDPS co-hosted the 74th Meeting of the International Working Group on Data Protection in Technology.

Also known as the Berlin Group - of which the EDPS vouches its long-standing commitment to - this international forum brings data protection authorities and privacy experts from all across the world to examine the data protection implications of emerging technologies for a privacy-enhanced tomorrow.

Since its establishment in 1983 in Berlin, Germany, the Group and its members have developed recommendations and guidelines on data protection to advance privacy standards in the fields of technology and telecommunications. The EDPS has always been an active team player in this international forum; most recently, contributing extensively to the issuance of Working Papers in particular co-leading the one on Central Bank Digital Currency (2024).

Over the years, it has always been clear that preparing for the technologies of the future at an international level is crucial. It makes it possible to champion a collective and coherent effort across the globe to reap the benefits of technological advancements, manage risks, whilst protecting people and their rights, including privacy and data protection. Using foresight techniques, sharing knowledge and practices contribute to this greater effort.

To this end, this two-day meeting was an opportunity for members of the Berlin Group to share their views, experiences and challenges on the evolution of technologies and their potentially high impact on people, such as neurotechnologies and extended reality.

During the discussions, the EDPS took this moment to present its recently published TechSonar focusing on different AI technologies, including on retrieval-augmented generation; on-device artificial intelligence; multimodal artificial intelligence; machine-learning; and neuro-symbolic artificial intelligence. Confirmed by our research for this publication, I reiterated that the rapid progress in the field of AI, combined with the potential for high returns on investment, is fuelling the AI race that could pose significant pervasive risks to individuals if not properly managed. It it is our responsibility to collaborate on ensuring that human dignity is prioritised in the development of AI solutions.

Technologies can broaden our horizons, but upholding individuals' rights and freedoms should be our guiding principles.