Morocco's Call for Enhanced Accountability in AI Systems
On July 7, 2026, during a high-level session in Geneva, Amlah Falah Saghrushni, the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, emphasized the urgent need for a new accountability model for autonomous AI systems. She highlighted that the responsibility of these systems represents "perhaps one of the greatest legal challenges of this decade." The session focused on the importance of respecting, protecting, and promoting human rights in the age of artificial intelligence, as part of the global dialogue on AI governance.
Minister Saghrushni elaborated on the complexities associated with AI systems, which operate through a network of independent agents, each contributing at different levels without a singular human actor directing the final decision. This decentralized approach complicates the assignment of accountability in the event of a malfunction, as it becomes challenging to determine which agent should be held responsible or how to allocate responsibility among the various stakeholders involved.
Furthermore, she explained that when multiple contributors participate in a single process, the resulting outcome can be harmful without a clear identification of where the fault lies, when it occurred, or the degree of responsibility attributed to each party. This difficulty is exacerbated by issues surrounding temporal causation and the intricate models that involve billions of interactions.
To illustrate the gravity of this situation, Saghrushni pointed out that Morocco handles approximately 52 million administrative transactions annually, underscoring the significant challenge of accurately pinpointing the source of errors on such a large scale. In light of these challenges, the minister asserted the necessity for new methodologies capable of addressing the increasing complexity of these systems. She proposed adopting an approach based on "decoupling" that would allow for the reconstruction of a non-deterministic causal graph of the actions taken by agent systems.
Additionally, the minister outlined three core commitments essential for enhancing accountability in AI systems. These include organized documentation of agent chains specifying who does what, how, and when, particularly in public facilities; appointing a clearly defined human authority responsible for decisions affecting individual rights; and ensuring the right to effective remedy within a timeframe that aligns with the operational speed of AI systems.
She stressed that "the operational independence of algorithms must never translate into independence from the law," advocating for proactive governance rooted in human rights that adapts to the growing complexity of AI. Moreover, she called for the development of practical mechanisms for risk assessment, traceability, auditing, and human oversight, taking into account the institutional specificities and developmental priorities of each country.
The discussions during this session also addressed key topics such as transparency, accountability, human oversight, and risk prevention throughout the lifecycle of AI systems, as well as the protection of vulnerable groups, including children and women. These dialogues are crucial in shaping the future of AI governance and ensuring that human rights remain at the forefront.
As reported by maroc.ma.
