Why is it important to organise a Forum on the challenges and opportunities that AI pose to minorities?

The first reason is the bias in AI systems. AI systems learn from historical data. If that data reflects past discrimination, then AI may reproduce or even amplify those biases. Examples have appeared in hiring, lending, facial recognition, and criminal justice applications. Mistakes made by AI systems can disproportionately affect minorities if the systems perform less accurately for certain groups. For example, some facial recognition systems have historically shown higher error rates for people with darker skin tones. If minority groups are not adequately represented in the data used to train AI models, their experiences, languages, accents, or cultural perspectives may be overlooked.

Automation may affect some occupations more than others. If minority communities are concentrated in jobs that become automated, they could experience greater economic disruption unless retraining opportunities are available. There are also privacy and surveillance concerns.

AI can create both opportunities and challenges for minorities because it can expand access to resources and opportunities while also potentially reinforcing existing inequalities.

Perhaps the most important opportunity is a greater access to education and information. AI-powered tools can help people access tutoring, translation, literacy support, and career guidance at low cost. This can benefit communities that have historically faced barriers to educational resources.

Artificial Intelligence improves accessibility.  AI technologies such as speech recognition, text-to-speech systems, and real-time translation can help people overcome language and communication barriers. This may particularly benefit immigrant communities and linguistic minorities.

When it comes proving the economic added value of minorities, which is the aim of the Forum of the European Minority Regions.  AI can create new jobs, support entrepreneurship, and help small businesses reach broader markets. Minority-owned businesses may use AI tools for marketing, customer service, and productivity without needing large budgets. For particularly smaller minorities AI provides better public services. When designed well, AI can help governments and organiations identify gaps in healthcare, education, transportation, and social services, potentially improving support for underserved communities. AI can Increase representation. Generative AI tools can make it easier for creators from diverse backgrounds to produce content, tell their stories, and reach audiences that were previously difficult to access.

AI-powered surveillance technologies can increase monitoring of communities. This can be both positive and negative.  Critics argue that these tools may sometimes be deployed in ways that disproportionately affect minority population.

But to sum up the impact of AI is not inherently positive or negative for minorities. It depends on factors such as, the quality and diversity of the training data, and whether developers test systems for fairness and bias.

It is also important how governments regulate AI. Whether minority communities are included in the design and deployment of AI systems. Government policies are crucial in this respect.

In short, AI has the potential to reduce barriers and create new opportunities for minorities, but without careful design and oversight it can also reinforce existing inequalities.

This years’ Forum on the European Minority Regions will be more interactive than previous for a. During the long lunch break the participants will be able to try out AI gadgets, games and projects of different organisations, educational institutions and companies.  Participants will personally be able to experience the different projects they here about during the conference.

Place and time:

The venue takes place in  the parliament of the Canton, Grossratssaal Kanton Graubünden,  Hochbauamt, Ringstrasse 10 in Chur/Cuira/Coira, the capital of the  Grisons (Graubünden, Grischun, i Grigioni on Friday the 23^rd of October 2026. The closest airport airport is in Zürich. From Zürich Airport you should take a bus or train to the main Railway station Hauptbahnhof, from there  buses and trains take about two hours to Chur.

Languages and interpretation:

We provide simultaneous interpretation between four languages; English, German, Italian. Participants can also intervene in Rhaeto-Romance

Travel, accommodation, meals and excursion:

We would kindly ask you to arrange your travel and accommodation yourselves, since FUEN cannot unfortunately reimburse travel and accommodation costs. We do however offer all the meals during the conference.