Right to Be Forgotten: A Human Rights-Based Approach for Governance in Generative AI

The Industrial Revolution 1.0 thrived in eighteenth century with factories and machines such as steam engines leading to mechanization of production. The Industrial Revolution 2.0 was propelled by electricity- and oil-based power in nineteenth century for mass production. The Industrial Revolution 3.0 was cultivated in the twentieth century through Electronics and Information and Communication Technologies for automatic production. The current phase of Industrial Revolution 4.0 in twenty-first century is built over the Industrial Revolution 3.0; but indeed is distinct from it due to its exponential growth, scope and impact across different sectors and industries in the Anthropocene age or era of humans. The Industrial Revolution 4.0 is led by technologies with ‘Digital Intelligence’ such as ‘Internet of things’, ‘Artificial Intelligence’, ‘Cloud Computing’, ‘Quantum Computing’, etc. Within the artificial intelligence (AI), the generative artificial intelligence (GAI) with its scale, scope, and complexity will progress toward a period that humankind has never experienced before. Parallel to the development of the digitally intelligent machines have emerged a new set of generational human rights which can also be called as ‘Digital Rights’ to safeguard our human rights in digital space. Right to be forgotten (RTBF) is one such emerging legal and digital right in civil, criminal, and tortious justice system. This research paper discusses the role of RTBF in the realm of one the prominent ‘Digitally Intelligent’ technology—GAI and discusses the conflicts of interests and rights arising between RTBF and GAI models.