Can AI tools enhance access to remedies as envisaged under the UN guiding principles on business and human rights: yay or nay? A critical assessment

Abstract

This article examines whether and to what extent artificial intelligence (AI) tools can enhance access to remedies for victims of corporate human rights abuses within the framework of corporate responsibility to respect human rights under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP). Adopting a doctrinal and interdisciplinary approach, the article draws on international legal frameworks, ethical AI guidelines, and practical examples of AI deployment in global supply chain management, operational-level grievance mechanisms, and alternative dispute resolution. The analysis highlights the potential of AI to lower barriers faced by both victims and businesses by improving transparency and accountability across complex global supply chains, enhancing evidence gathering, and increasing the efficiency and accessibility of operational-level grievance mechanisms. Nevertheless, it also identifies significant risks, including bias, poor data quality, privacy concerns, and the possibility of deepening existing power imbalances. The article concludes that while AI can meaningfully support access to remedies, this can only be realised if AI systems are embedded within robust rights-based governance frameworks that ensure transparency, accountability, effective oversight, and equitable access.