SSJC Term 3 Project: Artificial Intelligence Discrimination Project
SSJC 2024-25 Term 3
Artificial Intelligence Discrimination Project
Applications now open for Term 3 Project: Artificial Intelligence Discrimination
Warwick Law in the Community (LinC) is pleased to collaborate with the Central England Law Centre (CELC) to offer students a further volunteering opportunity with the Strategic Social Justice Clinic (SSJC) in term 3 of 2024/25.
The SSJC specialises in using public law and other rights-based strategies to address systemic disadvantage and achieve effective change. Students work with the Public Law and Human Rights team at CELC on a variety of projects that CELC would be unable to pursue without our students’ support.
If you have any questions about this opportunity please email WarwickLinC@warwick.ac.uk
For more information about the SSJC, how it runs and details of past projects, see here.
What's Involved?
Students volunteering with the Strategic Social Justice Clinic are expected to commit 3-5 hours per week during term time. Students will be required to attend weekly meetings on campus. The SSJC is usually held on a Wednesday afternoon between the hours of 12pm-3pm.
Student volunteers receive supervision from Emma Austin, Solicitor and CELC's Rights in the Community Strategy Lead, alongside Dr Rebecca Munro, co-Director of Warwick LinC.
Eligibility
Opportunities with the Strategic Social Justice Clinic are open to all Warwick law students, both undergraduate and postgraduate. PPL students are also eligible to apply.
How to apply
Students should submit their CV along with a cover letter (of no more than 300 words) in one document to WarwickLinC@warwick.ac.uk
You must submit your CV and your cover letter as ONE PDF document. In your cover letter please indicate why you are interested in taking part in the project.
Deadline for applications: 2pm, Thursday 6 March 2025. Shortlisted candidates will be informed by the end of Tuesday 11 March. Interviews to be held online on Monday 17 March.
As a volunteer for Warwick LinC you are able to claim Core Skills Points towards the Warwick Award.
Artificial Intelligence Discrimination Project – Term Three Project
Central England Law Centre (‘CELC’) aims to create a fairer, more just society, by embedding legal rights in its communities to reduce inequalities, challenge unfair systems and advance social justice through legal advice and education. We do this by: (i) delivering specialist social welfare legal advice and representation to people who are marginalised, disadvantaged and discriminated against; (ii) providing holistic advice and support and identifying interrelated legal issues to prevent them from reaching crisis point; (iii) creating a range of referral pathways so people are able to access legal advice at an earlier stage and (iv) sharing our knowledge internally across teams and externally with our partnership organisations and clients by Public Legal Education to support people to understand their rights and how to use the law to enforce them.
Through our partnership work with local organisations, CELC has recently become aware that certain Local Authorities are using Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) programs, instead of human call handlers, in their ‘front door’ customer service/advice and information telephone services. We have received anecdotal evidence that if individuals struggle to make themselves understood by the AI programs, then they are cut off without being connected to the services they require within these Local Authorities. CELC is concerned that many individuals may struggle to make themselves understood due to factors such as language, learning difficulties or disability. We are, thus, keen to understand whether the use of AI programs in front door customer service/advice and information telephone services could lead to discrimination of those with protected characteristics (such as race and disability) under the Equality Act 2010.
The Artificial Intelligence Discrimination Project will (i) scope the nature and extent of the use of AI programs in front door customer service/advice and information telephone services in Local Authorities; (ii) identify emerging issues, trends and concerns about the use of AI programs in front door functions through a literature review of wider academic research and a caselaw review;(iii) identify and explore potential discrimination against those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, through application of discrimination law frameworks.
We are planning to recruit 12-15 student volunteers to the Project and are looking for students with the following skills and attributes:
- A commitment to social justice.
- Good organisational skills and timekeeping.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Good legal research skills.
- Good analytical skills.
- Good team working and collaboration.