Wed May 7

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

Written by: James Jin Kang, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, RMIT University Vietnam

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 ^[1] and finance ^[2].

It also influences hiring decisions ^[3], rental applications ^[4], loans ^[5], credit scoring ^[6], social media feeds ^[7], government services ^[8] 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 ^[9]. 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 ^[10] of having their data used to train the company’s AI models.

A growing divide

AI-driven systems are biased ^[11]. Automated hiring tools favour certain demographics ^[12], and AI-powered credit scoring ^[13] 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 ^[14] to these technologies. For example in India, only 12%^[15] of people over the age of 15 are considered digitally literate highlighting the challenges of technological changes.

Many face exclusion simply because they don’t fit into the AI-defined model. In these cases, opting out of AI isn’t a personal choice anymore, but it’s a matter of survival in a rapidly changing world. The divide between those who embrace AI and those who are left behind is widening and becoming a social barrier.

This isn’t just about bias or inefficiency. It’s about the fundamental transformation of our society, where the connected, the optimised, and the machine-readable dominate – and the rest of us are left in the shadows.

A lesson in control

The story of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797, is a powerful reminder of the dangers of unleashing forces we cannot control.

In the tale, an apprentice uses magic to perform tasks but loses control of the enchanted broomstick, leading to chaos and disaster. Today, AI is that uncontrollable force. It has the potential to make life easier but also poses serious risks when it gets out of hand.

The problem isn’t just about safety but about freedom. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice teaches us, as historian Yuval Noah Harari has written ^[16], to “never summon a power you cannot control” – a reminder that even well-meaning advancements can spiral out of control if we fail to manage them properly.

As AI becomes more embedded in our lives, the issue isn’t just about whether it works. It’s about whether we have the right to decide how much of it we want in our lives. The freedom to choose, to opt out, is essential to preserving our autonomy in the digital age.

Australian users of Meta’s social media platforms cannot opt out of having their data used to train the company’s AI models. Tada Images/Shutterstock ^[17]

What needs to change?

To protect the right to live a life free from the constant influence of AI, we must act now.

While most ^[18] AI governance frameworks ^[19] emphasise responsible use ^[20] focusing on fairness, transparency and accountability, they often overlook a vital principle: the right to disengage from AI systems entirely without facing exclusion or disadvantage.

Governments, businesses and communities need to create policies that not only regulate AI but also respect individual freedoms. People should have the option to live without AI, without facing discrimination or exclusion from essential services.

AI decision making also needs to be more transparent. Whether it’s automated hiring, healthcare or financial services, AI should be understandable, accountable and open to scrutiny. No longer can we allow these systems to operate behind closed doors, making decisions that affect people’s lives with no recourse for the individuals involved.

Finally, society must invest in digital literacy. Everyone should understand the systems that impact their lives and have the tools to challenge them when necessary. Ensuring people know how to navigate and control the technologies that shape their world is essential in maintaining freedom in the digital age.

An urgent question

Some may ask, why not just add a kill switch to AI and shut it down if needed? But once AI is woven into crucial systems such as healthcare, transport or communication, it’s no longer something we can simply turn off.

Like electricity or the internet, it becomes a core part of modern life, not easily reversible without major disruption ^[21].

So as AI spreads further into every corner of our lives, we must urgently ask: will we still have the freedom to say no?

If we don’t act now to protect the right to choose, we risk a future where personal autonomy is compromised, and the influence of AI goes unchecked. The question isn’t whether we can live with AI but whether we will still have the right to live without it before it’s too late to break the spell.