Robin Allen KC and Dee Masters are specialist discrimination barristers based in London at Cloisters chambers with deep knowledge of the equality implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic discrimination having written and lectured extensively on this area since 2018, and having been instructed by business, national regulators, NGOs, unions and workers in relation to AI regulatory issues.
In 2019, they created www.ai-lawhub.com which is a centralised resource for tracking and analysing the emerging debate in the UK, Europe and globally concerning AI and the ways in which it should be analysed with an equality, data protection and human rights framework. They also tweet regularly from @AILawHub on developments in this area. Their blogs, which examine equality issues and AI are available here.
Their work has been referenced by the European Commission and led to invitations to participate in discussions with various governmental and non-governmental bodies in the UK: the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the Committee on Standards in Public Life as part of their review of AI and its impact on public standards, the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Rule of Law (which examined the regulation of automated decision making) and the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI).
In early 2023 they have completed a project for the DCMS on the impact of a principled based approach to regulation and a survey for the Nuffield funded Ada Lovelace Institute.
In 2022 they have been working with DCMS and CDEI on legislative coherence issues, advising European Equality Bodies and private business.
In 2022 they spoke at the workshops for CENELEC of the European Commission on technical standards in AI. A report after the event is here.
In late 2021 they were commissioned by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with with disabilities and the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in relation to the effects of AI, ML and ADM for persons with disabilities. The Special Rapporteur’s thematic report was then presented to the UN Human Rights Committee on the 14 March 2022 and is available here.
On 5 November 2021, The Legal Education Foundation published their open opinion called “The impact of the proposals within “Data: A new direction” on discrimination under the Equality Act 2010″ which is available here.
In June 2021 they were shortlisted by CogX2021 – the leading festival of all things AI and emerging technologies – for its Global Leadership Award.
In May 2021 they spoke at the Annual Conference of the Employment Lawyers Association on the implications of AI for the employment relationship providing guides to identify and think through different legal risks. Their paper is available here.
On the 25 March 2021, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) published a legal opinion by Robin Allen QC and Dee Masters called “Technology Managing People – the legal implications“. A detailed blog concerning the report has also been published here. Their Report has been widely cited in the discussions about future regulation of AI systems in the workspace.
During late 2020 and early 2021, Robin and Dee devised and delivered a training programme for the Council of Europe, in conjunction with the CDEI, for UK regulators on discrimination and AI. The programme is being rolled out to regulators in France and Spain.
In October 2020, the Ada Lovelace Institute published “Can digital immunity certificates be introduced in a non-discriminatory way?” by Roin and Dee; see here.
Dee was a panellist for the Ada Lovelace Institute in July 2020 discussing the extent to which employers can use Covid 19 immunity certificates. A video of the seminar is available here.
Robin and Dee spoke to Disability Rights TV in July 2020 about the challenges which disabled people face in a world that increasingly relies on AI. The video can be accessed here.
Dee spoke at CogX on the CDEI panel – here is the video.
Robin and Dee published “Artificial Intelligence: the right to protection from discrimination caused by algorithms, machine learning and automated decision-making“, ERA Forum, 20(4), 585-598 . Available here.
On the 10 June 2020, Equinet published their major Report “Regulating for an equal AI : A New Role for Equality Bodies: Meeting the new challenges to equality and non-discrimination from increased digitisation and the use of Artificial Intelligence” (the Equinet Report) discussing the next steps in European regulation of AI systems.
Robin presented “Artificial intelligence, machine learning, Algorithms and discrimination law: The new frontier” on 3 February 2020 at Michael Rubenstein’s Annual Discrimination Law Conferences in London and Edinburgh this month. Available here.
The TLEF published an open opinion by Robin and Dee called “In the matter of automated data processing in government decision making” on 7 September 2019; available here.
Robin presented “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human Rights” in April 2019, ERA in Brussels, details available here.