Seattle — The American Psychological Association’s governing Council of Representatives approved measures at its meeting Aug. 6-7 addressing issues including the role of psychology in artificial intelligence, global human rights for women and girls, a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war, and the need to advocate for restitution for politically inflicted trauma.
By a vote of 156-2, with 1 abstention, the Council approved a policy (PDF, 61KB)opens in new window to recognize the critical role of psychological science and knowledge in guiding the many forms, applications and analyses of AI, and the real and potential impacts of artificial intelligence on psychological research and the training, practice, and application of psychology.
“APA affirms the vital role of the discipline of psychology in addressing societal challenges, the challenges and opportunities related to health and well-being, and the ethical and privacy implications of AI,” the policy states. “APA is resolutely committed to identifying, mitigating, and eliminating harmful impacts of AI while ensuring that everyone in society can benefit from AI technologies to the greatest extent possible.”
The role of APA and psychology falls into three domains: Shaping AI’s societal impact, using AI to promote health and well-being, and addressing and upholding ethics and privacy related to AI.
Regarding the global rights of women and girls, the Council approved a resolution (PDF, 104KB)opens in new window by a vote of 157-4, with 3 abstentions, calling for national and international educational initiatives to enhance awareness of the issue. The measure commits APA to expanding formal education about girls’ and women’s rights and promoting research on “girls’ and women’s human rights and the dissemination of the science of the human rights of girls and women, including those who are socialized or have lived experience as women and girls.”
This resolution notes that girls and women are denied numerous human and legal rights, including sexual and reproductive rights; educational, work and economic rights; the right “to choose if, when and who[m] to marry; and the rights of self-expression and self-determination.” The measure also directs APA to work to eliminate research practices that “implicitly but powerfully marginalize girls’ and women’s experiences and rights.”
The Council also passed a measure (PDF, 87KB)opens in new window, by a vote of 106-52, with 8 abstentions, calling for “an immediate, permanent, and comprehensive ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict.”
“APA urges all actors to prioritize the protection of civilians, to adhere to international humanitarian law, and to engage in meaningful dialogue and negotiation toward just and sustainable resolutions,” the resolution states. It also calls for “increased access to culturally responsive, contextually relevant, evidence-based psychological resources for those affected by armed conflict and living through humanitarian emergencies.”
In another action, the Council passed a resolution (PDF, 111KB)opens in new window committing APA to advocate for restitution and reparations for the survivors of individual and collective trauma and their descendants. The measure, which passed by a vote of 113-52, with 4 abstentions, defines the types of trauma covered, which includes gender-based violence and human trafficking; the Holocaust; U.S. internment of Japanese Americans and Unangan people; U.S. enslavement of Africans and their descendants; and the taking of native lands and systematic oppression of Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Puerto Ricans, and other populations.
It also calls on APA to convene a task force to initiate, support and disseminate a report based on psychological science examining the benefits of collective reparations “to understand best practices with regard to the distribution of restitution programs and to facilitate the adoption of distributive justice practices in other global organizations.” The resolution offers many examples of restitution but says, “Given the scope of our role we assert that the appropriate type of restitution or reparations would be best collectively determined by victims and (federal and/or state) governmental and/or human rights officials and entities...”