Presentation on AI Act and Data Protection Law delivered to educators through MEYR
Presentation on AI Act and Data Protection Law delivered to educators through MEYR
February 2025
Dr Marco Fagnano, Legal Counsel at the IDPC delivered a presentation on the AI Act and Data Protection Law, as regards pertinent considerations for compliance under the GDPR, to educators, under the auspices of the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation (MEYR) including education officers and senior management working on the new Digital Education Strategy.
This initiative was part of the outreach programme of the IDPC and was beneficial for the attendees to better understand the impact of AI, from a legal and practical standpoint within the education sector.
The presentation made educators aware of how central and intertwined data protection is with AI regulation, pointing out that data protection law has protected against the processing of personal data from automated-decision making, since the introduction of the GDPR over seven years ago.
Accordingly, the necessity to comply with data protection obligations during the adoption of AI software for the purposes of education, whether concerning teaching or assessment of student work or examinations, was emphasised.
Specifically, it made educators aware of how easy it may be for AI software to jeopardise the fundamental rights of students, as protected under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
To assist educators, a refresher on data protection was given, and examples on how data protection issues may come to the fore when AI software would be utilised in teaching and correction scenarios. Moreover, educators were guided on how to ensure respect for the students’ data protection rights, in respect to certain circumstances which may be expected.
The presentation was delivered in conjunction with the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA) team at the Digital Literacy Centre, in Hamrun.
