A Challenge for a Primavera Digitale: The Phantom Influence of Artificial Intelligence Systems (ICONnect, International Journal of Constitutional Law's Blog)
A New Question?
How do fundamental and human rights emerge, and what conditions shape their emergence in the digital age? In this post, I aim to reflect on a puzzling social phenomenon: the widespread sense of comfort – or at least resignation – that individuals display toward phone applications, AI systems, and algorithmic decision-making tools that process personal data and shape life opportunities.
This comfort stands in sharp contrast to how we react to interference in the physical world. Being watched by a person or a camera in a public space typically provokes discomfort, or at the very least a sense of awareness. Yet comparable forms of monitoring, profiling, and behavioural influence through digital systems often pass without scrutiny. Users rarely question how applications process data, whether they manipulate behaviour, or how persuasive and personalised digital environments constrain autonomy. This disparity raises foundational questions: Why do we tolerate digital interference so readily? What does this tolerance reveal about evolving expectations and vulnerabilities surrounding our rights? And do existing human rights frameworks adequately capture the nature of power in the digital realm? ...
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