AI and Human Rights

I was glad to read the recent article on AI (“AI’s Unanswered Questions,” winter 2024) and to know that students are gaining practical experience analyzing and building AI tools and models as part of their undergrad experience. Working at the intersection of human rights and tech, I am confident that it is not a question of “if” AI will be involved in everyone’s daily lives, but to what extent. This is why critical analysis and reflection is so crucial for our collective future.

One key component missing from the article is the work of nonprofit organizations around the world on the multifaceted human rights impacts and potential of AI. Research and advocacy by people like my colleagues at Amnesty International and European Digital Rights (EDRi) have demonstrated how AI can exacerbate existing human rights violations and introduce new ones. AI is built by human beings, and our own prejudices are baked into the technology we produce.

The task of researching harms and advocating for AI-focused policy that respects human rights can sometimes seem insurmountable, but given the outsize impact that AI already has and will continue to have in our lives, it is necessary. Human rights must be at the heart of our future.

Molly Rose Freeman Cyr ’13, Toulouse, France

A Beloved Professor

It is over 40 years since I graduated from Wellesley, and I still vividly recall Joy [Renjilian-Burgy, associate professor emerita of Spanish, “In Memoriam,” spring 2024] with great affection and respect. As an “older CE/DS student” (I was four years younger than she was), I approached her on my first day of class and explained that I
was so nervous. Her humor, dedication, warmth, energy, and brilliance guided me through with confidence and success. Fond memories include her hosting classmates at her home, dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Boston to practice our Spanish skills, and a telephone conversation in Spanish as part of our final exam. She was a treasure.

Gail Sares Skabo CE/DS ’81, Carmel, Calif.

Joy was such an amazing mentor! I was a French major, and she convinced me to take Spanish classes and get my M.A. in Spanish. I remember the day when she laid out the whole plan for me and told me exactly what I was going to do. It was the best piece of advice I have ever received and completely changed my path in life, opening so many doors for me personally and career-wise. I am forever grateful to her.

Sherrill Sebesta ’96, Clifton Park, N.Y.

As a Mexican-American cinephile, I couldn’t wait to take her class on Latin American cinema. She showed me devastatingly beautiful films about Latin America that left an immense impact on me. When we called to talk about how her class was going, she told me how much I reminded her of herself when she was young. It was one of the best praises I received from a professor during my time at Wellesley. ¡Gracias por todo, Profesora Alegría! Siempre te llevaremos en el corazón.

Sophia Peña ’22, Boston

Correction

In the spring issue’s “New Works” department, we incorrectly stated the number of volumes in the series that ends with the latest (and last) Maggie Hope mystery by Susan Elia MacNeal ’91. The Last Hope is the 11th in the series, not the 12th. (We wish there were one more!) Wellesley regrets the error.