Avoiding AI is hard – but our freedom to opt out must be protected

Summary

Imagine applying for a job, only to find out that an algorithm powered by artificial intelligence (AI) rejected your resume before a human even saw it. Or imagine visiting a doctor where treatment options are chosen by a machine you can’t question. This isn’t science fiction. It’s becoming a reality for many people today. AI quietly shapes almost every part of our lives – from the news we read chosen by AI to how our cities manage traffic. AI promises convenience, productivity, innovation and efficiency. But as it grows more powerful, one urgent question is being overlooked: do people have the right to live free from AI’s influence? Excluded from modern life Opting out of AI is no simple matter. AI powers essential systems such as healthcare, transport and finance. It also influences hiring decisions, rental applications, loans, credit scoring, social media feeds, government services and even what news or information we see when we search online. Challenging decisions made by AI in your life can be enormously difficult – and may only be able to be done in court. It’s even harder to choose to live without AI entirely, as this requires stepping away from much of modern life. For example, Australian users of Meta’s social media platforms cannot opt out of having their data used to train the company’s AI models. A growing divide AI-driven systems are biased. Automated hiring tools favour certain demographics, and AI-powered credit scoring can unfairly deny loans. These biases are not just theoretical but they are real and present in our daily interactions. If AI becomes the gatekeeper for essential services, those who choose to avoid it could face significant disadvantages. In many countries where digital systems are expanding rapidly, a large portion of the population struggles to adapt to these technologies. For example in India, only 12% of people over the age of 15 are considered digitally literate highlighting the challenges of technological changes. Many face excl...