Experts debate formulas to strengthen privacy protection in the design of assistance robots

Experts from the business, university, research and government worlds have gathered today to discuss the privacy impact of robotic care devices that, in many cases, use artificial intelligence to interact with people. In the conference 'Care robotics: how to innovate without renouncing privacy', organized by the Catalan Data Protection Authority (APDCAT), in collaboration with the Center for Telecommunications and Information Technologies (CTTI), they analyzed the implications of the use of this type of device for certain fundamental rights of people, such as the right to data protection or personal autonomy, and have agreed on the need for the defense of privacy to be integrated consciously and from an origin in innovation projects and technological development. The day, which was held in the CTTI Auditorium, brought together around sixty people.

Xavier Milà, managing director of the CTTI, and Meritxell Borràs, director of the APDCAT, have been in charge of welcoming the event. Milà recalled that technology and digital concepts evolve quickly and that, in order to equip ourselves with tools that protect citizens' data, we must accelerate the ability to adapt existing rules. On the other hand, Borràs has assured that "we need to rethink new ways of obtaining value from data without affecting rights" and has claimed "the personal freedom to choose without being manipulated". For this reason, he has encouraged all the agents involved in the design of the new society, either directly or indirectly, to discuss the different ways of integrating technology into people's lives, because "it is necessary to move forward in the safest way possible". For Borràs, incorporating robots in the care of people, some in a situation of added vulnerability, opens up new questions about the real impact on their rights and freedoms that must be addressed from an active dialogue between different disciplines and professional areas.

People shaped by technology

On the other hand, Carme Torras, research professor at the Institute of Robotics and Industrial Informatics, CSIC-UPC, has emphasized the fact that people can be shaped by technology. In this regard, he used the words of the philosopher Robert Solomon to remind us that "the relationships we build in turn shape us." He specified that he was referring to relationships with parents, siblings, teachers and friends, but added that "now that we interact so much with digital tools in our day-to-day lives, these technologies are already shaping us and will shape future generations even more ".

That's why he defended that "we need to think carefully about what kind of technology we want to be shaped by." He also insisted that it is necessary to train at a technical and ethical level on how to make good use of digital tools at all levels, from primary school to university students, the general public and, especially, professionals who are developing these technologies and students of modules and technological degrees that will design them in the future.

Data protection by design

The session also served to learn about experiences that are being carried out in this field and to influence the way in which the design of the technology must integrate the guarantee of the right to the protection of personal data, as a protection mechanism of this right and of the other rights that may be affected by the processing of personal data. The round table, moderated by Santiago Farré, head of the APDCAT Legal Advisory Board, was attended by Francesco Ferro, CEO at PAL Robotics, Lluís Anaya, Director of Digital Innovation at the CTTI, and Núria Vallès, researcher from the IDEAI research center (UPC) and the STS-b (UAB).

During his speech, Ferro defended that the development of technology and the innovation of assistance robotics go hand in hand with the regulation of data protection or the right to privacy, and he affirmed that this is an important point that they take into account on a daily basis when creating and developing their products and technologies. For Ferro, interaction with people is the basis of assistance robotics, and it is necessary to innovate sustainably and responsibly with users, so that they feel safe and calm.

For his part, Lluís Anaya has pointed out that in the field of innovation "we focus a lot on what we want to invent, try, demonstrate and test to achieve new things that bring positive value". He also highlighted "a new disruptive technological innovation that positively affects personal data": the so-called synthetic data, which are really "invented" but have a distribution and social similarity identical to reality.

Vallès spoke about the importance of taking into account ethical issues from the beginning of the design process of robotic systems, and not just afterwards, in their application. This means, for example, defining the main objectives of the care technologies to be developed, and ensuring that they respond to the needs of patients and caregivers, also integrating the principle of precaution and measured action, in order to avoid damage and minimize risks throughout the entire process of developing and implementing robots.

Impacts on rights and freedoms

Finally, Lorenzo Cotino, professor of constitutional law at the University of Valencia and coordinator of Regulation and Rights at OdiseIA, has spoken particularly about the impact of robotics assistance on people's rights and freedoms. Cotino has said that it is necessary to question the impact of these care systems not only on individuals, but on society as a whole, and on humanity. He also pointed out that data protection offers the way forward for minimal impact on rights, and added that in this case it will also be necessary to take into account the incidence of the future artificial intelligence regulation of the European Union.