A Human Rights-Driven AI Assessment of Ethical Industry 5.0 Transition and Sustainability in Circular Value Chains

Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds potential to ac-celerate various processes, alleviate human workload, enhance capabilities, and refine decision-making. In the context of cir-cular economy, AI offers various advantages, including defect identification, component classification, and end-of-life product management aligned with company strategies. Nevertheless, AI might have an impact on several Human Right (HR). This paper focuses on safeguarding HRs in the design and deployment of AI tools, particularly those advancing sustainability in manufacturing. A comprehensive Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) is proposed, surpassing conventional methods to proactively mitigate risks aligned with AI regulations and ethical guidelines. The proposed HRIA was validated in three pilot cases that are implemented using an AI platform that works in tandem with Digital Twins to demonstrate circularity scenarios: de-and re-manufacturing of LIB packs in e-mobility, de-and re-manufacturing of consumer WEEE, and process industry in the petrochemical domain. These cases showcased the versatility of the proposed HRIA and its role in uncovering insights.