Development of legal and ethical recommendations for media personalisation
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Law School
Abstract
In response to the aims of the project, my research will be formulated around three interlocking elements. Firstly, I will focus on the legal and ethical dimensions of personalised media content. To do this I will analyse legal sources, primarily EU Directive 2016/679 and Data Protection Act 2018, and ethical sources, in particular discussions of normative ethical theory, specifically as they pertain to the rights of the individual. This study will continue the principal focus of my master's degree, which has an emphasis on global ethics, human rights and how they apply to specific practical problems. As such, they have, much like this project, had to maintain a sensitivity to the empirical and regulatory background of the issues and not simply theoretical soundness.
Secondly, I will draw on an analysis of the BBC Charter alongside the attitudes towards media providers to examine what values are at stake when the BBC uses AI to effect personalisation. Specifically, the BBC Charter promotes values of informing, educating, and entertaining in 'the
interests of Our People'. I will seek empirical data to determine the degree that they are supported, and whether they contrast with values such as convenience or transparency. This combination of analysis and empirical research follows in part from my studies and from my professional roles as teacher and researcher, which required me to gather, analyse and present wide-ranging data sets.
Finally, I examine the practical implications of these enquiries in order to identify what sort of interface might be necessary between provider and user - how artificial intelligence can be used to gather and translate user data into media personalisation that ensures both accessibility and transparency. To do this, I will interview key staff from the BBC and attend the Machine Learning Ethics committee. As this is a new area of study for me, it will also provide suitable opportunity to develop the necessary background for this element.
Secondly, I will draw on an analysis of the BBC Charter alongside the attitudes towards media providers to examine what values are at stake when the BBC uses AI to effect personalisation. Specifically, the BBC Charter promotes values of informing, educating, and entertaining in 'the
interests of Our People'. I will seek empirical data to determine the degree that they are supported, and whether they contrast with values such as convenience or transparency. This combination of analysis and empirical research follows in part from my studies and from my professional roles as teacher and researcher, which required me to gather, analyse and present wide-ranging data sets.
Finally, I examine the practical implications of these enquiries in order to identify what sort of interface might be necessary between provider and user - how artificial intelligence can be used to gather and translate user data into media personalisation that ensures both accessibility and transparency. To do this, I will interview key staff from the BBC and attend the Machine Learning Ethics committee. As this is a new area of study for me, it will also provide suitable opportunity to develop the necessary background for this element.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Karen Yeung (Primary Supervisor) | |
| James MacLaren (Student) |