Metaverse and Human Rights

This was a short panel and with some amazing contributors and of course big shout out to Monika Manolova!

On the 75th anniversary of the declaration of universal human rights, I discussed whether they were still relavant or needed to be changed. I do not think for example, they encompass the concept of digital me. For example:

In this new world, would everyone have teh right to work, a free choice of employment and protection against unemployment (UHR Article 23). This is worrisome as labour is being replaced by AI and often humans are becomign a commodity product in the value chain (see what happened to gig workers). Often these new jobs are micro-salaries, with no security for health, unemployment or pension security.

This raises lots of questions on digital exploitation (think of the Hollywood actors case and every employee whose job may become obsolete as AI is being trained on their labour). Further if there is a "Digital Me" is it exploitation when there are 5 Digital Mes working? What about children? Is it child labour when a child is being used to train an AI through gamification and the company is reaping profits? Or when a parent uses a child to get social media clicks and hence become an influencer, with an income stream? UHR 32 does not look at digital exploitation of children!

Exploitation can also take place in the metaverse when for example, a company that owns war games can win a defense contract. Do we need more transperancy? Here are two examples depicted below.

Some points to ponder!