Webinar Series – Equality by design: Empowering Equality Bodies and Civil Society to investigate discriminatory AI

Throughout 2025, Equinet will host a series of three webinars (continued project externally-funded by the UK Research and Innovation Programme on Responsible AI). They are aimed at Equinet Artificial Intelligence Working Group members, civil society organisations working in the area of equality and digital technologies.

The webinars will take place  from 14:30 to 16:30 (Brussels time) on:

• 25 March (online)
• 1 April (online)
• 29 April (online)

Background

Building upon its 2024 active involvement with the development of the AI Act’s technical standards, in 2025 Equinet will organise three webinars for Equality Bodies (EBs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to deepen their understanding and awareness of legal questions, concrete technical and organisational measures (‘equality by design’ measures) that help guard against AI-enabled discrimination.  

The primary objective of these webinars is to equip EBs and CSOs with the essential information and insights needed to engage in meaningful discussions with AI developers and deployers. This will enable them to effectively investigate the impact of AI systems on equality. This knowledge is equally important for EBs and CSOs that use or procure AI systems themselves. 

Specifically, participants must be able to assess whether an AI system poses risks of discrimination or broader fundamental rights concerns. To do so, they need a solid understanding of how AI systems function and the potential entry points for discrimination—particularly in system design and biased datasets. 

Since identifying, preventing, and addressing discrimination risks are closely linked to the tools provided by the AI Act, one of the webinars focuses on available remedies and mechanisms for individuals and public bodies. This includes transparency-related provisions and key articles such as Articles 85, 86, and 77, along with other relevant regulations that support EBs and CSOs in their daily work. 

Objectives

• Build knowledge and improve understanding of concrete technical and organisational ‘equality by design’ measures to ensure that the development and deployment of AI technologies are equality-compliant 
• Enhance their knowledge and capacity of CSOs and EBs to monitor and investigate the discriminatory impacts of AI-enabled technologies 
• Provide Equality Bodies with examples and good practices on equality-protective guidance to AI developers and deployers 
• Facilitate mutual learning and foster partnership between Equality Bodies and civil society organisations in advocating for the adoption of “equality by design” approaches 

Participants

• National Equality Bodies: Representatives and experts from member organizations with a focus on  members of the Equinet Artificial Intelligence Working Group
• Civil Society organizations working in the area of equality and digital technologi

Outline agenda

The webinars will address the following main issues: 

Equality by design: demystifying the technical framework and legal challenges  

• Introduction to Legal Frameworks 
• Understanding AI Systems and Bias
• By design and best practices for AI development and deployment
• Legal Challenges in AI Discrimination 

Access to justice under the AI Act: how to get access to information and prepare complaints 

• Remedies and enforcement 
• Individual, collective and public enforcement
• Future developments and challenges 
• Update on ongoing work of the AI Office (Guidance documents, templates, GPAIs Code of Practice etc.)

Implementing Equality by design through technical standards: opportunities for Civil Society organisations and Equality Bodies 

• Briefing from Equinet’s representatives at the CEN-CENELEC Joint Technical Committee 21 developing the future harmonized standards for the AI Act 
• Examples and practical case studies 
• How to approach a case of discrimination 
• Facilitate mutual learning and foster partnership between Equality Bodies and civil society organisations 
• Presentation of Explainers that complement the webinars 

 The online training will be complemented by 3-4 practical “Explainer” documents on the following topics:  

• Understanding Artificial Intelligence (which aims to explain the different types of AI and its applications, including the origins of biases and discrimination) 

• Explaining ‘By-Design’ Approaches: Principles and Implementation (which aims to provide a structured and accessible overview of the ‘by-design’ approach, particularly as it applies to AI and equality considerations) 

• A Guide for access to justice for Equality Bodies and CSOs under the AI Act: understanding, monitoring and remedying AI-based discrimination (which aims to shed some light on the different ways to gather and access information and build complaints in light of the new AI Act or classical discrimination law for cases of AI-based discrimination) 

• The Role of Technical Standards as a promoter and measure of Equality by Design approaches and their place within the regulatory framework of AI (whose primary purpose is to offer a brief overview of the role that technical standards play in the regulatory framework that governs the provision and deployment of AI systems) 

For further information, please contact Fabian Lütz (Fabian.Luetz@equineteurope.org), Legal Officer, Project Equality-proofing AI systems: “Equality by Design, Deliberation and Oversight, or Milla Vidina (support) (milla.vidina@equineteurope.org).