[Unpad Media Channel] The Faculty of Communication Science, Universitas Padjadjaran, is one of the hosts of the “74th ICA Annual Conference – Jakarta Bandung Hub,” organized by the International Communication Association (ICA) in collaboration with the ICA Indonesia chapter at the Graduate Auditorium of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran. Jatinangor, Sumedang, Thursday (20/6/2024) and Friday (21//2024). This conference is titled “Human Rights Advocacy: The Communication Challenges”.
On the first day, the conference is filled with the keynote speaker Prof. Noshir Contractor from Northwestern University. Prof. Contractor presents his research titled “The Future of Human-AI@Work: Implications for Human Rights”. In his explanation, Prof. Contractor explained that there are seven key tenets of global human rights.
The first key tenet is freedom of expression and opinion. According to him, employees have the right to express their views, ideas, and concerns freely without fear of retaliation or censorship, as long as it does not infringe upon the rights of others or create a hostile work environment.
“This is one of the issues, a key tenet, that people in communication have to study,” explained Prof. Contractor.
The next key tenet is non-discrimination and equal opportunity. In the workplace where AI has been used to shortlist employees for certain jobs in the workplace. However, it leads to a lot of the kinds of discrimination that might have happened in the past.
“How can we focus in the field of communication to make practices that are inclusive and do not discriminate against any individual or group,” he said.
The third key tenet is the right to privacy. Employees have the right to privacy in their personal communications and information at work, and employers should respect this right and have clear policies regarding the monitoring and use of employee communications and data.
Nevertheless, this right is disrupted by the use of internet applications at work, such as agreeing to certain terms that the company can access.
“There is nothing we can do about the fact that they have access to this data, because of our rights of privacy, there are clear policies, but policies basically give organizations the right to a lot of access to this information,” explained Prof. Contractor.
Another key tenet is the right to participate in collective bargaining. Employees have the right to communicate with each other and form unions or associations to advocate for their rights and interests in the workplace.
AI technology can provide engagement in collective bargaining. Nonetheless, AI can also threaten employees as it has the potential to replace human jobs. “AI as a technology has the potential to displace a lot of human trust right now,” said Prof. Contractor.
The fourth key tenet is protection against harassment and abuse. Employees should have clear policies and reporting mechanisms to prevent and address any form of harassment or abuse of communication. Meanwhile, there have been several cases caused by AI. “AI can provide mental stress and create mental issues and challenges for a human,” he explained.
The following key tenet is access to information. Employees should have access to the information they need to perform their jobs effectively and to understand their rights and benefits as workers.
Prof. Contractor explained that people are currently living in a surveillance economy. “The notion of having a surveillance economy means that in many cases individuals are told that they are constantly being watched, whether it is through videos, whether it is through keyboard tracking events,” mentioned Prof. Contractor.
The last key tenet is respect for cultural and linguistic diversity. In global and multicultural workplaces, communication practitioners should respect and accommodate the diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds of employees. Recently, Singapore is working closely with countries in South Asia, including Indonesia, to build the corpus of data that can be used to train AI models that are specifically responsive to the cultural and linguistic diversity. “It is really important for countries such as Indonesia and others to be able to come together to see what they can do to build models in AI that would respect the cultural and linguistic diversity,” he explained.
The conference continued with the first main panel on the topic “Media & Human Rights,” featuring speakers Prof. dr. C.H. (Claes) de Vreese from the University of Amsterdam, Dr. Dadang Rahmat Hidayat, S.Sos., SH., M.Si from Universitas Padjadjaran, and Dandhy Dwi Laksono from Watchdoc, moderated by Dr. phil. Subekti W. Priyadharma, M.A.
The next is a second main panel on the topic “Communicating Mental Health: Indonesian & Asian Perspectives,” featuring speakers Prof. Susanne Dida, M.M. from Universitas Padjadjaran, Prof. Zahrotur Rusyda Hinduan, MOP., Ph.D. from Universitas Padjadjaran, and Dr. Emma Mohamad from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, moderated by Syauqy Lukman, PhD.
After the panel sessions and discussions, the event proceeds with a poster presentation session. A total of 22 posters curated by reviewers are presented by their respective presenters. The presented posters covers various topics that are the focus of discussion at the conference, such as Communication and Marginalized Issues, The Dynamics of Communication and Activism, and Human Rights and Social Justice. (arm/SA)*
