Regulating high-reach AI: On transparency directions in the Digital Services Act
By introducing the concept of high-reach AI, this paper focuses on AI systems whose widespread use may generate significant risks for both individuals and societies. While some of those risks have been recognised under the AI Act, we analyse the rules laid down by the Digital Services Act (DSA) for...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Internet Policy Review |
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| Online Access: | https://policyreview.info/node/1746 |
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| _version_ | 1850074039313235968 |
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| author | Kasia Söderlund Emma Engström Kashyap Haresamudram Stefan Larsson Pontus Strimling |
| author_facet | Kasia Söderlund Emma Engström Kashyap Haresamudram Stefan Larsson Pontus Strimling |
| author_sort | Kasia Söderlund |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | By introducing the concept of high-reach AI, this paper focuses on AI systems whose widespread use may generate significant risks for both individuals and societies. While some of those risks have been recognised under the AI Act, we analyse the rules laid down by the Digital Services Act (DSA) for recommender systems used by dominant social media platforms as a prominent example of high-reach AI. Specifically, we examine transparency provisions aimed at addressing adverse effects of these AI technologies employed by social media very large online platforms (VLOPs).
Drawing from AI transparency literature, we analyse DSA transparency measures through the conceptual lens of horizontal and vertical transparency. Our analysis indicates that while the DSA incorporates transparency provisions in both dimensions, the most progressive amendments emerge within the vertical transparency, for instance, by the introduction of the systemic risk assessment mechanism.
However, we argue that the true impact of the new transparency provisions extends beyond their mere existence, emphasising the critical role of oversight entities in implementation and application of the DSA. Overall, this study highlights the paramount importance of vertical transparency in providing a comprehensive understanding of the aggregated risks associated with high-reach AI technologies, exemplified by social media recommender systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ea5fb1f961b94d8bb300bb02e3df9ee5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2197-6775 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Internet Policy Review |
| spelling | doaj-art-ea5fb1f961b94d8bb300bb02e3df9ee52025-08-20T02:46:39ZengAlexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and SocietyInternet Policy Review2197-67752024-03-0113110.14763/2024.1.1746Regulating high-reach AI: On transparency directions in the Digital Services ActKasia Söderlund0Emma Engström1Kashyap Haresamudram2Stefan Larsson3Pontus Strimling4Lund UniversityInstitute for Futures StudiesLund UniversityLund UniversityInstitute for Futures StudiesBy introducing the concept of high-reach AI, this paper focuses on AI systems whose widespread use may generate significant risks for both individuals and societies. While some of those risks have been recognised under the AI Act, we analyse the rules laid down by the Digital Services Act (DSA) for recommender systems used by dominant social media platforms as a prominent example of high-reach AI. Specifically, we examine transparency provisions aimed at addressing adverse effects of these AI technologies employed by social media very large online platforms (VLOPs). Drawing from AI transparency literature, we analyse DSA transparency measures through the conceptual lens of horizontal and vertical transparency. Our analysis indicates that while the DSA incorporates transparency provisions in both dimensions, the most progressive amendments emerge within the vertical transparency, for instance, by the introduction of the systemic risk assessment mechanism. However, we argue that the true impact of the new transparency provisions extends beyond their mere existence, emphasising the critical role of oversight entities in implementation and application of the DSA. Overall, this study highlights the paramount importance of vertical transparency in providing a comprehensive understanding of the aggregated risks associated with high-reach AI technologies, exemplified by social media recommender systems.https://policyreview.info/node/1746Digital Services Act (DSA)Social mediaAI transparencyContent recommender systemsArtificial intelligence |
| spellingShingle | Kasia Söderlund Emma Engström Kashyap Haresamudram Stefan Larsson Pontus Strimling Regulating high-reach AI: On transparency directions in the Digital Services Act Internet Policy Review Digital Services Act (DSA) Social media AI transparency Content recommender systems Artificial intelligence |
| title | Regulating high-reach AI: On transparency directions in the Digital Services Act |
| title_full | Regulating high-reach AI: On transparency directions in the Digital Services Act |
| title_fullStr | Regulating high-reach AI: On transparency directions in the Digital Services Act |
| title_full_unstemmed | Regulating high-reach AI: On transparency directions in the Digital Services Act |
| title_short | Regulating high-reach AI: On transparency directions in the Digital Services Act |
| title_sort | regulating high reach ai on transparency directions in the digital services act |
| topic | Digital Services Act (DSA) Social media AI transparency Content recommender systems Artificial intelligence |
| url | https://policyreview.info/node/1746 |
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