Keynote: Vulnerability. A Context-Sensitive Lens for Human Rights

While human dignity serves as the indisputable foundation of the international human rights framework, the rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence requires a refined ethical vocabulary. This talk proposes “universal vulnerability” not as a contradiction to dignity, but as a necessary complementary lens. I argue that acknowledging our shared fragility sensitizes us to potential harms facing specific communities, cultures, and stakeholders.This sensitivity is particularly vital in the context of AI. Beyond the well-known issue of algorithmic “blind spots”—where specific cultural aspects are excluded due to data gaps—there is a deeper risk of active erosion. AI systems often impose a standardized logic that can override distinct cultural meanings. By adopting a vulnerability-sensitive approach, we can better identify how these mechanisms reproduce and exacerbate cultural erasure. Ultimately, this perspective demands that Human Rights function as a responsive shield against the homogenization of the human experience, ensuring not just survival, but the flourishing of human beings in all their diversity.

10.12.2025

Human Rights and New Digital Technologies