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AI & Fashion

Updated: Apr 5, 2024


Generative image by Kharumwa

There is no debate about the potential of AI to revolutionize how we work and fashion is no exception. As this  Mckinsey report further elaborates AI can affect the entire fashion eco system cutting costs, saving time, and making better, more personalized designs that is; if all goes well. According to Karen Hao: a journalist and senior reporter at MIT Technology Review; without adequate protection: workers, especially minority workers remain vulnerable to exploitation from corporations if left unprotected by their governments.

The fashion industry is second only to agriculture in its potential to employ people. For developing countries, however, ground-breaking profits in the West have often equated to sweatshops characterized by low pay and inhumane working conditions. 

Like in any other industry, the overarching threat of fewer jobs as many skills will become redundant remains but as Karen Hao is currently breaking via Twitter: even when workers pick up the skills to work in these companies as has been the case for the data annotation workers of Remotasks, they are still vulnerable. Remotasks advertised itself as an opportunity to earn in USD doing online tasks from Africa but what started as a miraculous opportunity to feed one’s family morphed into unhealthy work hours with colleagues deliberately pitted against one another. More devastatingly, with no warning: Remotasks shut down operations and locked workers out of the website. For people who have been relying on this as a sole source of income, such news is ruinous. The pattern is consistent across the continent with workers from Rwanda, Nigeria, and South Africa sharing similar stories. This is not the first time that Karen Hao has reported on such a manner of power abuse, going so far as to call it a new colonial order


So just what protections exist for Ugandans? 


In 2019, Uganda set up the “ Expert National Task Force on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”The task force is led by John Nasasira and comprises 22 other engineers, academics, and policymakers. There is no public record yet of the outcomes of this task force. Other relevant regulations include:

    


 What would an ideal policy framework look like? 


I looked at the EU AI ACT: The World’s First Comprehensive AI ACT. The EU parliament has prioritized safety, traceability, inclusivity, and environmental friendliness.  The systems must be overseen by people and not automation to prevent harmful outcomes. 

Some key tenets of the Act are:


Risk-Based Approach: The EU AI Act adopts a risk-based approach to regulating AI systems. It categorizes AI applications into four risk categories: unacceptable risk, high risk, limited risk, and minimal risk. Different regulatory requirements apply to AI systems based on their risk level.


High-Risk AI Systems: The EU AI Act places specific regulatory requirements on AI systems considered high-risk. These include AI systems used in critical infrastructure, healthcare, transportation, law enforcement, recruitment, and educational admissions. High-risk AI systems must comply with obligations related to data quality, robustness and accuracy, transparency and explainability, human oversight, and documentation.


Conformity Assessment: High-risk AI systems must undergo a conformity assessment procedure to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. This process involves assessing the AI system's compliance with technical standards, conducting risk assessments, and documenting compliance.


Prohibited Practices: The EU AI Act prohibits certain AI practices that pose significant risks to individuals' rights, safety, and fundamental freedoms. These prohibited practices include AI systems that manipulate human behavior, conduct social scoring, exploit vulnerable groups, and enable real-time biometric identification in public spaces for law enforcement purposes.


Transparency and Accountability: The EU AI Act emphasizes transparency and accountability in the development and deployment of AI systems. It requires AI providers to provide clear and accurate information about the capabilities, limitations and intended use of their AI systems. Additionally, providers must establish mechanisms for monitoring and addressing AI system performance and compliance over time.


Enforcement and Oversight: The EU AI Act establishes mechanisms for enforcement and oversight to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. This includes appointing national competent authorities responsible for overseeing AI regulation, conducting market surveillance, and imposing penalties for non-compliance.


International Cooperation: The EU AI Act encourages international cooperation and alignment with global AI governance initiatives and standards. It aims to promote interoperability and harmonization of AI regulation across jurisdictions to facilitate international trade and cooperation in AI development.


It's important to note that the EU AI Act is still subject to negotiations and amendments within the European Union's legislative process. As such, the final version of the legislation may differ from the initial proposal outlined above.


In a discussion aimed at securing workers’ rights in the AI revolution: leaders insisted on the need to create social protections that kept people at heart. The full deliberations of the European Employment & Social Rights Forum 2023 can be found here.



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