Towards Autonomous Borders? Assessing the Human Rights and Rule of Law...

QM School of Law

...Challenges of the Deployment of Artificial Intelligence  (AI) Systems for Migration Management

Room 2.10, Second Floor,  School of Law

W﻿hen: Wednesday, 29th March at 1.30pm-6pm (GMT)W﻿here: Room 2.10, Second Floor, School of Law, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS (Via Westfield Way)F﻿ormat: HybridThe <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/law/research/research-centres/justice-human-rights/study-of-borders-and-migration/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">(B)OrderS: Centre for the Legal Study of Borders and Migration</a> and the <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/law/humanrights/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Human Rights Law Centre</a> at Queen Mary University of London invite you to the workshop ‘Towards Autonomous Borders? Assessing the Human Rights and Rule of Law Challenges of the Deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Systems for Migration Management’.In recent years, the exponential increase in computational power coupled with the availability of large quantities of data has heightened the burst in interest for Artificial Intelligence (AI). In the field of migration, broadly including immigration, asylum and border management, AI has the potential to revolutionise the way states manage mobility, decision-making and community integration. AI promises modernised identity checks and border controls, as well as expedited and more efficient decision-making in relation to applications for visas, residence permits or asylum applications. In immigration systems suffering from backlogs, lengthy delays and uncertain outcomes, the deployment of AI technology appears as a panacea for treating pathogenic practices and promoting neutrality, objectivity and standardisation in decision-making, thus decreasing or restricting cases of individuals subjected to discriminatory treatment. At the same time, the increasing utilisation of AI applications seems to be heading towards the development of highly autonomous borders which can automatically pre-determine one’s right of entry or stay in the country based on their legal status, sophisticated risk assessments and biometric analysis, and limit human intervention to very few highly complex cases. This autonomy may also reinforce existing non-entreé policies and entails significant implications for the protection of human rights, such as the right to respect for private life and protection of personal data, non-discrimination and effective remedies. This workshop aims to critically evaluate these challenges stemming from AI applications in the field of migration management.

Programme13:30 – 13:45Welcome and introduction to the workshopNiovi Vavoula (Queen Mary University of London) &amp; Alexandra Karaiskou (European University Institute)13:45 – 15:15Panel IThe Transformation of Borders in the Era of AIChair and discussant: Elspeth Guild, Queen Mary University of LondonSpeakers:Petra Molnar (York University / Harvard University)Technological Violence through High-Risk Experiments at the Border Amanda Musco Eklund (Umeå University)Operationalising Foreseeability in the Opaque Context of Automated Border Control and Risk AssessmentsDimitri Van Der Meerssche (Queen Mary University of London)Building the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS): Filtering Movement through the Computational Calculus of RiskNiovi Vavoula (Queen Mary University of London) Revisiting Informatisation of the Body in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Era: When the Foreigner Is the Border15:15 – 15:30 Coffee Break

15:30 – 17:15Panel IIAI and the Future of Asylum ClaimsChair and discussant: Claudia Aradau, King’s College LondonSpeakers:Ludivine Stewart (European University Institute) Asylum Procedures and Data-driven Algorithms: Quo Vadis Due Process? Francesca Palmiotto (Hertie School's Centre for Fundamental Rights) Automated Decisions and Procedural Fairness: Seeking Standards for Asylum Seekers and RefugeesMeltem Ineli Ciger (Suleyman Demirel University / European University Institute) AI in Resettlement Processes: A Discussion on Its Benefits, Risks and Legal Consequences Ismini Mathioudaki (Scuola Normale Superiore) and Alexandra Karaiskou (European University Institute) Artificial Intelligence at the Border and Digital Refoulement 17:15 – 17:45ConclusionNiovi Vavoula, Queen Mary University of London &amp; Alexandra Karaiskou (European University Institute)

About the Speakers
Petra Molnar is the Associate Director of the Refugee Law Lab at York University and a 2022-2023 Fellow at the Berkman Klein Centre for Internet &amp; Society at Harvard University.
Amanda Musco Eklund is a Doctoral student in EU border control and new technologies at Umeå University. 
Dimitri van der Meerssche is a Lecturer in Law and Fellow at the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS) at Queen Mary University of London. 
Ludivine Stewart is a Ph.D. researcher at the European University Institute (EUI) in Law, 
Francesca Palmiotto is a postdoctoral researcher at Hertie School's Centre for Fundamental Rights working in the project "AFAR: Algorithmic Fairness for Asylum Seekers and Refugees" funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. 
Meltem Ineli Ciger is a Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute and an Associate Professor at the Suleyman Demirel University, Faculty of Law in Turkey. 
Ismini – Nikoleta Mathioudaki is a Ph.D. candidate at Scuola Normale Superiore, 
Alexandra Karaiskou is a Ph.D. researcher at the European University Institute and a lawyer licensed to practice in Greece.
Niovi Vavoula is Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Migration and Security at Queen Mary University of London.

About (B)OrderS: Centre for the Legal Study of Borders and Migration
Founded in 2022, the <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/law/research/research-centres/justice-human-rights/study-of-borders-and-migration/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">(B)OrderS: Centre for the Legal Study of Borders and Migration</a> focuses on the study of bordering, ordering and othering processes through law. It constitutes an excellence hub for intellectual collaboration and evaluation of the role of law in the making and unmaking of borders and their impact on global (im)mobility. It connects scholars within and beyond Queen Mary Law School to harness existing inter- and multi-disciplinary research into law, borders and (im)mobility and shape future research and policy agendas in response to global challenges.

About the Human Rights Law Centre
The <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/law/humanrights/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Human Rights Law Centre</a> was established to provide scholarly expertise, research and teaching on national and international human rights. Its aim is to focus on areas that are at the forefront of human rights to help contribute to its progressive development and to help benefit the community. Through investigation and research the we seek to prevent and remedy human rights violations and by providing pro bono legal advice our research is linked with the practical assistance offered by the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre. These rights include the rights of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in our community including socio-economic rights; rights of women; international child rights and the rights of other vulnerable groups.