The roundtable forms part of ongoing work by the UN Human Rights B-Tech Project to develop practical guidance and resources for investors to implement the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human rights (UNGPs). This guidance aims to clarify why data-related human rights risks in technology companies can translate into material financial risks, and how investors can integrate these considerations into their decision-making processes. It also explores how investors can use their leverage to encourage portfolio companies to adopt business models that better respect human rights.
The discussions in Tokyo were structured across three sessions. The first examined how corporate approaches to data can either undermine or support human rights, including in the context of AI development and deployment. Speakers from academia, as well as Japanese and global civil society provided concrete examples of risks, such as the environmental impact of infrastructure like data centers. The language gap between legal, technological, and human rights experts was also underlined.
The second session turned to institutional and corporate investor practices, focusing on how both public and private market actors can identify, assess, and mitigate human rights risks linked to data and AI. Participants exchanged insights on due diligence processes, engagement strategies, and the different forms of leverage available to investors depending on their roles and market positions, including the difficulties smaller organizations face in making an impact.
The final session focused on the development of effective guidance tools. Through breakout discussions, participants assessed what types of resources are most useful for investors, where gaps currently exist, and how guidance can be made both practical and actionable across different stakeholder groups.
At the core of the discussion was the growing recognition that business models built on the large-scale collection, storage, and monetization of personal data carry significant human rights implications. While privacy concerns are well established, participants highlighted how such models also pose risks to a wider set of rights, including equality, non-discrimination, and freedom of expression. The increasing integration of artificial intelligence across the technology sector has further intensified these risks, amplifying concerns around data concentration, accountability, and systemic harm.
By bringing together diverse perspectives, the roundtable underscored the pivotal role investors can play in shaping a more rights-respecting digital economy. It also reinforced that the effectiveness of emerging investor guidance will depend not only on technical robustness, but on inclusive development processes that engage affected stakeholders from the outset to ensure that technological innovation and human dignity are mutually reinforcing.
