Here's How Artificial Intelligence Breaches the Fundamental Human Right of Choice

The push for artificial intelligence by the tech barons is relentless, pervasive, invasive, and often bloody manipulative and coercive.

“Our mission is to ensure that AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) benefits all of humanity.” bleats Sam Altman in his latest blog post, a man who constantly changes direction more than a fart in a hurricane to appease whomever he’s trying to raise money from.

Rather than presenting AI as an optional tool for users to engage with as they see fit, Big Tech is embedding it into every aspect of (digital) life, opting people in by default and, in many cases, offering no clear way to opt-out, throwing you into a never-ending cycle of dark patterns until you eventually capitulate and agree to it in your life because it’s so bloody hard to get out of.

Some have argued for a pause on AI development or even an outright ban which was laughable at the end of the day, but the way to take on Big Tech and its overt push of artificial intelligence is not to “Ban AI” or “Pause AI”; it’s too late for that shit.

That they are removing your Freedom of Choice by forcing it into every aspect and opting you in by default is how you attack the problem.

And Choice is a fundamental Human Right.

The reality is that AI is already deeply integrated into our digital and economic infrastructure, and it’s accelerating fast without consent. The real fight isn’t against AI itself but against the erosion of human rights, specifically, the fundamental right to choose. The Right to Choose is at the core of human rights. Yet, tech oligarchs are actively removing this freedom when it comes to AI adoption.

AI features like Apple Intelligence, Co-Pilot, ChatGPT, Gemini, et al. are being implemented in everyday software like browsers, search engines, operating systems, productivity, and creative tools without transparency or meaningful consent. Anything you touch now has been tainted by an LLM, anything you upload to a personal cloud or save is training fodder for an AI.

Did you explicitly agree to it? No, because you weren’t given the choice to.

Often, users aren’t even informed that AI has been introduced into the services they rely on at all, let alone given the ability to disable it easily. Between 2023 and 2024, practically every major software vendor and SaaS provider updated their terms and conditions on the fly without notification to cover the usage of data for generative AI training purposes.

And have you tried to switch off Siri accessing every app on your iPhone recently, or have you tried to downgrade Microsoft 365 to remove Co-Pilot? It’s a fucking nightmare task, and they know it.

This isn’t just an issue of inconvenience or the implementation of dark patterns to prevent you from turning it off; it’s a violation of autonomy.

People should have the right to decide whether they want AI to analyze their data, generate their content, or automate their productivity. When companies design systems that obscure and obfuscate AI’s role, they deny users the ability to make informed choices about their own digital interactions.

The Human Rights Act needs to be updated to protect people’s rights and choices over the use of Artificial Intelligence. And the oligarchs won’t like this because it means you have the right to choose not to work for companies that force AI into your life without your consent or right to choose. Unfortunately, changing legislation as far-reaching as this with such wide implications will not happen overnight, but the time to start the conversation was yesterday.

Just as privacy laws were established to counter the exploitation of personal data, new protections are needed to ensure individuals have control over the presence and influence of AI in their lives. People need explicit consent; they need to be presented with alternatives, to feel protected at work, and to know how AI influences decisions across their lives at the hands of corporations.

The Broligarchs will undoubtedly resist these measures.

AI is their ultimate tool for control over user behavior, workforce productivity, and market dominance. Larry Ellison, the Godfather of the Broligarch, said so openly himself that a vast AI-fueled surveillance system can ensure ‘citizens will be on their best behavior.’ When they show you who they are, believe them.

The more deeply AI is embedded into everyday systems, the harder it becomes for individuals to disengage from their influence. However, the right to refuse AI is as critical as the right to privacy or free expression. Without safeguards, people will find themselves living under an AI-driven system where decisions are made for them rather than by them.

Society must demand that AI remains a choice, not an imposition.

The fight for digital autonomy is the next frontier in human rights, and it’s a battle that must be won before control over technology, and, by extension, control over individuals, slips entirely into the hands of a few corporate entities.

“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.”

— Frank Herbert, Dune

Like I said in a previous post, this isn’t a Luddite position.

Choice is still a fundamental human right last time I looked. Make sure you can exercise yours.