The rise of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping our world, and with it, the landscape of human rights. Recognizing this profound shift, experts from China and Europe gathered in Madrid, Spain, for the 2025 China-Europe Human Rights Seminar on Wednesday. The event focused on how these technological advancements impact human rights, especially in the context of the digital era.
Under the theme “Human Rights in the Context of the Digital-Intelligent Era,” scholars, government officials, industry leaders, and other stakeholders engaged in in-depth discussions. Their collaborative efforts culminated in a consensus document highlighting the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital revolution.
The document emphasized that evolving digital technologies are sparking a new wave of scientific and industrial transformation. These changes are not only altering how we live and work but are also redefining human rights with new meanings and significance. However, it also acknowledged the widening digital divide and the need for better global digital governance.
Issues like unbalanced development and incomplete regulations are becoming more prominent. The document stressed the importance of preventing a “Digital Leviathan”—where digital technologies wield overwhelming power—while ensuring that human rights are respected and protected.
Six key consensus points were proposed, including:
Ensuring technology safeguards the common well-being of humanity.
Creating a secure and trustworthy digital environment for rights protection.
Promoting global sharing and universal access to digital-intelligent rights.
Guaranteeing non-discrimination and transparency in rights relief.
Building a cooperative cyberspace community with a shared future.
Lu Guangjin, vice president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, highlighted the seminar’s significance in advancing human rights theory and fostering dialogue between civilizations. He noted that such exchanges play a positive role in promoting mutual understanding between China and European countries.
Marta Montoro, vice president and director general of the Catedra China Foundation in Spain, stressed the importance of protecting the rights of vulnerable groups in the digital age. She pointed out that the digital revolution demands a greater commitment to humanism, ensuring that progress does not leave behind children, women, the elderly, or those in the Global South.
“We must advocate for a multipolar world where all civilizations, cultures, and people have a voice,” Montoro said. She emphasized that in the era of AI, robotization, and automation, human rights should be strengthened, expanded, and adapted—never weakened.
Laura Suero Moreno, junior advisor at the Catedra China Foundation, underscored the urgent need to integrate ethics and regulation into AI development. Without proper ethical and legal frameworks, she warned, society risks unintended consequences like human rights violations, algorithmic discrimination, and loss of privacy. She highlighted the seminar’s role in promoting interdisciplinary dialogue and encouraging technology development that aligns with human values.
Lin Wei, president of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, addressed the challenge of protecting human dignity and human rights in the age of digital intelligence—a concern shared by both China and European countries.
“The ultimate goal of technology should be to serve humanity and enhance human abilities, not diminish individual sovereignty and freedom,” Lin stated. “Human dignity is both the starting point and the destination of human rights and the ethical cornerstone we must always uphold.”
The seminar was co-hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and the Catedra China Foundation, marking an important step in international cooperation on human rights issues in the digital era.
