“The lecture showed me that AI can truly support equality, but only if we work together to govern it responsibly and ensure the values behind it help build a fairer future,” said one of the students attending the public lecture “AI and Us: How to Govern AI Before It Governs Us”. The event, held in Tbilisi on 27 November, brought together students from different faculties, ICT professionals, civil society organisations, researchers, and representatives of international organisations to explore how we can govern AI so that it strengthens, rather than undermines, equality and democracy.
In her opening remarks, Natalia Voutova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia, emphasised the powerful role that biases, and social norms play in shaping everyday human decision-making. She noted that these deeply embedded patterns influence how people think and behave - and inevitably become reflected in the technologies they design. Highlighting that such harmful norms often become the “ground truth” for AI systems, ms Voutova underlined that, unless identified and addressed, these biases risk reinforcing existing inequalities rather than challenging them.
The participants examined how artificial intelligence is transforming how we live, learn, and work, while also reshaping power itself. The guest speaker, Ivana Bartoletti, draw a particular attention on AI-related harms and risks disproportionately affecting women and marginalised groups, as well as practical strategies to mitigate these risks and foster inclusive innovation that strengthens rights and participation. “AI can be very efficient, but being efficient doesn’t always mean being fair. That is why ethics matter, and the responsibility of those who design and deploy AI - are crucial to ensuring that efficiency does not result in discrimination”, she noted.
The participants gained a clearer understanding of both the benefits and risks associated with AI deployment. The discussion provided them with insights to be able to identify AI impact on gender equality for them to remain engaged in the promotion of responsible and human-centred AI governance.
The event was organised in the framework of the project “Reinforcing gender equality and implementing GREVIO recommendations to combat violence against women and domestic violence in Georgia”. The Project is a part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2024-2027.
