Paper by Sara Marcucci and Stefaan Verhulst: “As Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems become increasingly embedded in societal decision-making, they have simultaneously deepened longstanding asymmetries of data, information and control. Central to this dynamic is what this paper terms agency asymmetry: the systematic lack of meaningful participation by individuals and communities in shaping the data and AI systems that inform decisions that impact their lives. This asymmetry is not merely a technical or procedural shortcoming; it is a structural feature of contemporary data and AI governance that underpins a range of interrelated harms–from algorithmic opacity and marginalization, to ecological degradation.
This paper proposes Digital Self-Determination (DSD) as a normative and practical framework for addressing these challenges. Building on the principle of self-determination as both individual autonomy and collective agency, DSD offers tools for empowering communities and individuals to determine how data-based technologies are designed, implemented and used.
It seeks to contribute to current debates on AI governance and provides a systematic account of how it can be operationalized across the AI lifecycle. In particular, it identifies four domains of intervention–processes, policies, people, and technologies–and illustrates how DSD approaches can be mobilized to confront agency asymmetries, whether through data stewardship models, participatory audits, or inclusive policy instruments…(More)”.
