Maputo, October 2025 — The Judge Advisor to the Constitutional Council, Alberto Nkutumula, has cautioned that the rapid and unregulated growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses significant ethical and legal risks to fundamental human rights. He was speaking during a lecture titled “Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Rights: The Role of the Ombudsman in the Digital Age”, delivered to the staff of the Office of the Ombudsman, as part of the institution’s ongoing capacity-building lecture series.
The initiative aims to deepen institutional knowledge on contemporary issues and strengthen the Office’s commitment to the protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms, particularly amid emerging digital challenges.
In his address, Nkutumula emphasized that while AI is revolutionizing multiple sectors — including governance, health, and justice — it also introduces new threats to democracy and human dignity. He underscored that the violation of privacy, personal autonomy, and freedom of expression are among the most pressing concerns.
“Artificial Intelligence can amplify bias, invade privacy, and erode the very essence of human dignity if left unchecked,” Nkutumula warned. “Protecting fundamental rights is crucial to ensure that technology serves humanity rather than diminishes it.”
The Judge Advisor pointed to the emergence of “deepfakes” and AI-generated misinformation, which he described as powerful tools capable of manipulating public opinion and undermining confidence in democratic institutions. He also expressed concern about the misuse of personal data, through which intelligent systems may infer private information such as health conditions, religious beliefs, or political opinions from innocuous data sources.
To mitigate these dangers, Nkutumula urged the creation of robust regulatory frameworks grounded in transparency, accountability, fairness, and auditability, ensuring ethical oversight in AI design and deployment. He recommended that human oversight remain central in all critical processes and that AI systems be built with privacy safeguards “by design.”
The Judge Advisor also highlighted the importance of establishing clear liability mechanisms for damages caused by AI systems, and eliminating algorithmic discrimination that could perpetuate inequality or bias in automated decision-making.
Concluding his remarks, Nkutumula stressed that the intersection of fundamental rights and artificial intelligence represents one of the most complex ethical and legal frontiers of the modern era.
“AI must be a tool for progress — not a source of dehumanization or exclusion,” he said. “The Ombudsman’s role in defending rights is more critical than ever in ensuring that innovation remains aligned with justice and human dignity.”
The lecture forms part of the Office of the Ombudsman’s educational and institutional development agenda, which seeks to enhance awareness of emerging governance challenges and to reinforce its constitutional mandate to safeguard citizens’ rights in the evolving digital landscape.
