Right to AI
The Right to AI is a proposed socio-technical right that asserts individuals and communities should meaningfully participate in the development, deployment and governance of artificial-intelligence (AI) systems that affect their lives.[1] The concept was introduced in 2025 by Rashid Mushkani and colleagues in a position paper that reframes AI as societal infrastructure and calls for a collective “right” to shape its future.[1] An advocacy website, [The Right to AI](https://www.therighttoai.org/), further promotes the idea and invites endorsements from the public.[2]
Background
The Right to AI emerged amid growing concern over AI’s role in healthcare, finance, education and urban governance, where algorithmic decisions can entrench biases and erode privacy.[1] Drawing inspiration from Henri Lefebvre’s “Right to the City,” the authors argue that existing digital-rights frameworks are insufficient because they focus on access rather than democratic control.[1] They propose that people and communities should have the power to “help define priorities, share in the oversight of data and technology, and ensure that AI reflects democratic values, social justice, and collective benefit.”[2]
Concept
According to the Right to AI initiative and the 2025 position paper, the right encompasses three core elements:
- Participatory governance: Individuals and communities affected by AI systems should have a meaningful voice in setting objectives, constraints and acceptable risks.[1] The framework adapts Sherry Arnstein’s “ladder of citizen participation” to digital technologies.[1]
- Collective data stewardship: Because AI models rely on data produced by society, advocates argue that data should be treated as a commons. Community-owned data trusts and cooperative stewardship are proposed to prevent the enclosure of public knowledge by private actors.[1]
- Inclusive design and oversight: Transparent design processes, public audits, local AI councils and co-managed AI infrastructures are recommended to ensure systems reflect diverse values and democratic principles.[1]
Models
The authors outline a four-tier “ladder” describing increasing levels of public control over AI:[1]
- Consumer-based – Participation is limited to consumer feedback and market choice.
- Private organisation-led – Companies consult the public but retain control over design and deployment.
- Government-controlled – Public agencies manage AI projects with limited citizen engagement.
- Citizen-controlled – Communities co-design, own and govern AI infrastructures, an aspirational model labelled “AI by the people.”[2]
They argue that higher tiers enhance democratic legitimacy and social justice while balancing technical efficiency with community values.[1]
Implementation proposals
The Right to AI initiative and related scholarship recommend several measures to operationalise the right:
- Establishing local AI councils comprising residents, researchers and policymakers to oversee municipal AI projects.[1]
- Creating community-managed data trusts that give collective control over data used to train AI systems.[1]
- Mandating public audits and independent assessments of AI systems to identify bias and discrimination.[1]
- Developing educational programmes and technical resources to build capacity for meaningful participation.[1]
- Inviting public endorsements of the Right to AI declaration via the initiative’s website.[2]
Reception and related concepts
The Right to AI has been embraced by AI-ethics researchers and civil-society organisations advocating for digital sovereignty and data justice.[3] Some legal scholars contrast it with “automation rights,” which focus on mandating AI deployment when it outperforms human decision-making.[4] Critics question whether existing human-rights instruments already encompass aspects of AI governance, or whether a distinct “right” risks diluting broader data-justice campaigns.
See also
- Digital rights
- Data governance
- Right to the City
- Participatory design
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Mushkani, Rashid; Berard, Hugo; Cohen, Allison; Koseki, Shin (8 May 2025). "Position: The Right to AI". arXiv. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "The Right to AI". The Right to AI initiative. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ↑ "Guidance for Inclusive AI: Resource Library". Partnership on AI. 2025. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ↑ Lobel, Orly (2024). "Automation Rights: How to Rationally Design Humans-Out-of-the-Loop Law". University of Chicago Law Review Online. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
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