Research Consultant - human rights and AI
Background
Privacy International (PI) has recently launched a new project challenging the militarisation of tech. Governments and companies around the world are fighting to establish their dominance - plunging us into a ‘tech race’ that is redefining the battlefield and blurring the line between civilian and military infrastructures.
In blurring the lines between military and civilian, there is a serious risk that tech developed in one context will be transferred to the other without due consideration of the different rules of engagement. We risk allowing both sectors to take advantage of gaps in regulation and oversight on either side. We must understand what new harms appear when governments, the defence tech industry and private investors align their interests.
Within the scope of this project, PI and partners aim to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the growing privacy risks posed by Vision-Language Models (VLMs), which are increasingly demonstrating capabilities as image geolocators. These advanced AI models can infer sensitive location information from visual content, even when such information is not explicitly shared.
The core problem lies in the dual-use nature of geolocation technologies. While they enable beneficial applications, such as improving disaster response, enhancing navigation, and geography education, they also create significant risks, especially if the precision of such systems significantly improves in the future. These risks could lead to real-world harm, such as stalking, discrimination, or even threats to national security if sensitive infrastructures are revealed.
Purpose of the Consultancy and tasks
The objective of this consultancy is to collaborate with PI and partners in conducting research, including writing a literature review on VLMs and similar technologies, and drafting a report to highlight the risks and policy analysis around VLMS, including their dual-use nature and the privacy concerns associated with their use.
The consultancy will include the following, in collaboration with PI and partners:
- Provide a background paper of literature review of legal and policy discussions;
- Assist in the organisation of a workshop (and attend if possible);
- Contribute to the content of the workshop;
- Write up a report following up from the workshop; and
- Arrange publicity around the report.
Requirements
The consultant undertaking this project must:
- Possess a comprehensive understanding of international human rights law, including privacy, and policy making;
- Be able to demonstrate a core understanding of emerging technologies and their interplay with human rights issues;
- Have experience in conducting research and drafting policy analysis;
- Ensure that only clearly lawful methods of research are used;
- Provide documentation and/or references to support the analyses which can be verified by PI, and;
- Ensure that any information obtained from fee-based online databases is done in line with the database’s terms of service.
Outputs, timelines, and remuneration
Deadline for applications: 23:59 GMT, 5 August 2025.
PI will aim to respond by 15 August 2025 at the latest.
he initial research should be conducted starting from 1 September 2025 and delivery of final report and dissemination should be completed by 30 November 2025 (at the latest) as per a schedule of deliverables to be agreed between PI and the selected consultant. All the data and evidence mentioned in the memos should be free to publicly use without constraints.
The budget for this project is £10,000, inclusive of all taxes.
Please send your proposal outline and CV to [email protected] by 23:59 GMT, 5 August 2025. We may schedule interviews as part of the process. For information about how Privacy International will use your data during recruitment please see our policy.