Following the successful completion of the previous edition, a new cohort of public officials in Belgium has begun the hybrid training course “Artificial intelligence and anti-discrimination”, aimed at strengthening the capacity of public authorities to address discrimination risks in AI systems.
The training is organised together with Unia, a Belgian Equality Body. Els Keytsman De Ronne from Unia highlights the importance of this training course: “As AI increasingly shapes our decisions, ensuring it respects equality is not optional, it is essential. This training equips staff of supervisors, administrations, and law makers with the required knowledge and marks a first step in addressing AI’s complexity and risks of discrimination.” The European Commission also underlines that, by bringing together supervisors, administrations and policymakers, this training course helps build a shared understanding of how to address discrimination risks linked to AI in public services, and support more consistent practice across levels of government.
The previous edition of the programme brought together staff members from public authorities, regulators, equality bodies and human right structures across Belgium, from the federal to the local level. A total of 68 participants successfully completed the intensive training sessions and received certificates, marking an important step in strengthening institutional knowledge on the intersection of artificial intelligence and human rights.
Building on this momentum, the new edition of the course was officially launched with an opening seminar at SPF BOSA, bringing together participants from different levels of governance to exchange on emerging challenges and opportunities related to AI governance.
The training programme consists of eight modules grounded in European human rights standards, including the EU AI Act and the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on AI along with the Belgian national framework on anti-discrimination. It aims to deepen participants’ understanding of algorithmic discrimination, risk assessment, and the role of public authorities in ensuring that the development and deployment of AI systems respect human rights.
Feedback from the previous edition highlighted the strong value of the training for participants’ professional work. Several participants emphasised that the course provides a clear overview of the evolving regulatory landscape around AI, describing it as “a panorama of applicable norms and institutions.” Others particularly appreciate the focus on the links between AI systems, discrimination risks and human rights obligations. Participants also underline the practical relevance of the training for their institutional roles, for example noting that the course “will help me monitor the use of AI systems in administrative procedures.”
The course is developed as part of the project “Upholding equality and non-discrimination by equality bodies regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in public administrations”, which is co-funded by the European Union through the Technical Support Instrument and implemented by the Council of Europe in co-operation with the European Commission. In addition to Unia in Belgium, other project partners are the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman (Finland) and the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (Portugal).
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