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Parliamentary Ombudsman delivers concluding remarks at Round Table Conference
The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, delivered the concluding remarks at the round table conference “The Ripple Effect of AI in the Labour Market” held in Valletta. The event was organised by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, the General Workers Union, and the Malta Business Bureau as part of the EU-funded TransFormWork II project, which aims to promote a just transition toward the work of the future through better and more effective regulation of artificial intelligence.
In his address, the Ombudsman stated that artificial intelligence, like all aspects of modern governance and technology, is not exempt from the rule of law. He underlined that AI must respect international and domestic human rights standards, particularly with regard to the protection of the vulnerable.
Judge Zammit McKeon stressed that AI cannot be permitted to enable discriminatory practices or to take decisions that negatively impact people’s lives. Any use of AI that falls short of the standards of human dignity, fairness, and legality must be categorically rejected.
He referred to key legal frameworks that underpin this principle, notably Article 8(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights and Articles 7 and 8 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. In this context, he cited a landmark decision by the District Court of The Hague (5 February 2020), which found the Dutch government’s SyRI system—a risk model developed to combat social security fraud—to be in violation of the right to privacy under Article 8 of the ECHR. The case illustrated how opaque and unchecked AI systems can encroach upon individual rights when not subjected to transparency and due process safeguards.
The Ombudsman highlighted Malta’s role within the broader European context, referring to the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, adopted on 17 May 2024. This is the world’s first legally binding treaty aimed at ensuring that AI is developed and deployed in a way that upholds core democratic values and human rights. He underscored the importance of accountability, non-discrimination, transparency, and democratic oversight in the governance of AI systems, stressing that independent mechanisms must be in place to ensure compliance and redress where harm occurs.
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Source: The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Malta
