AI project: ensuring equality and non-discrimination in use of artificial intelligence in public administrations

The AI project focuses on the protection of fundamental rights in AI applications by public authorities, as enshrined in the European Union's AI Act and the Council of Europe Convention on AI, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.

• Goal: the project should enable Unia to detect and prevent discrimination in the use of AI and automated decision-making by public institutions. We will do this by providing legal assistance to individuals discriminated against by AI, drafting policy recommendations and providing training in line with EU and Council of Europe standards, and national legislation.
• International cooperation: we cooperate with equality bodies in Finland and Portugal.
• Strategic framework: the project is part of Unia's 2023-2027 strategic plan that focuses, among other things, on countering discriminatory effects of AI.
• Timing: the project will run until August 2026.

The As-is and gap analysis was presented in March 2025, focusing on:

• Current legal and governance framework for AI
• Current and future needs and gaps

This analysis will become the starting point for:

1. Training for staff in human rights institutions, supervisory authorities, ministries and civil society: we will realise a (follow-up) online training on AI, non-discrimination and equality. Start enrolments summer 2025.
2. Policy recommendations: we develop concrete recommendations for monitoring the implementation of the EU AI Act and relevant standards.
3. Case Handling and Assessments: we will provide an assessment protocol to examine the role of AI in notifications.

Through this project, Unia is preparing for our role under Article 77 of the European Union's AI Act. The AI Act sets out cooperation modalities between existing fundamental rights monitoring authorities such as Unia and relevant market regulators to ensure that individuals' fundamental rights are effectively protected against the potential risks of AI. Particular emphasis is placed here on the right not to be discriminated against.

The As-is and gap analysis shows the importance of a meaningful cooperation between market surveillance authorities and equality bodies like Unia for an effective supervision and broader protection of fundamental rights. Given the institutional complexity in Belgium, it is urgent that formal agreements be in place to establish this cooperation, ahead of the August 2025 deadline for setting up the oversight structure. Adequate resources must be allocated to equality bodies to ensure their effective participation in the oversight framework, in alignment with the recent EU directives on standards for equality bodies.

You can read more about this TSI project on discrimination and AI at the Council of Europe website. You can also discover more info at:

• EU:
  • Reform Support - European Commission (europa.eu)
  • AI Act (europa.eu)
  • EU Directives 2024/1499 and 2024/1500 on Equality Bodies
• Council of Europe:
  • The Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence - Artificial Intelligence (coe.int)
  • Study on the impact of artificial intelligence systems, their potential for promoting equality, including gender equality, and the risks they may cause in relation to non-discrimination (coe.int)
  • Committee of Experts on Artificial Intelligence, Equality and Discrimination (GEC/ADI-AI) - Gender Equality