Algorithms increasingly make decisions for humans or support human decision-making (Sunstein 2023). To address cases of discrimination regulatory efforts for Artificial Intelligence (AI) have recently flourished. On 14 July 2023, the UN Human Rights Council adopted Resolution A/HRC/RES/53/29 on New and Emerging Technologies at the 53rd session calling for equal rights offline and online, also regarding gender equality and non-discrimination. It builds on a wide range of texts including the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, which includes a dedicated gender chapter, the Call to Action for Human Rights, the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, the creation of the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology and the ongoing process of the UN Global Digital Compact.
The present contribution assesses the Resolution through the lens of gender equality, focusing on its added value regarding regulatory efforts for AI by sketching out elements where AI poses opportunities but also risks for gender equality.