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[Insert statement of urgency and significance for why this right relates to AI.]

Sectors #

The contributors of the AI & Human Rights Index have identified the following sectors as responsible for both using AI to protect and advance this human right.

• DEF: Defense and Military
• GOV: Government and Public Sector
• INTL: International Organizations and Relations
• LAW: Legal and Law Enforcement
• REG: Regulatory and Oversight Bodies

AI’s Potential Violations #

[Insert 300- to 500-word analysis of how AI could violate this human right.]

AI’s Potential Benefits #

[Insert 300- to 500-word analysis of how AI could advance this human right.]

Human Rights Instruments #

Universal Declaration of Human Rights(1948) #

G.A. Res. 217 (III) A, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, U.N. Doc. A/RES/217(III) (Dec. 10, 1948)

Article 27

Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination(1963) #

G.A. Res. 1904 (XVIII), United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, U.N. Doc. A/RES/1904(XVIII) (Nov. 20, 1963)

Article 5

(e) The right to equal participation in cultural activities;

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights(1966) #

G.A. Res. 2200A (XXI), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (Dec. 16, 1966)

Article 15

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone:

(a) To take part in cultural life;

(b) To enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications;

(c) To benefit from the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.2. The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for the conservation, the development and the Diffusion

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of science and culture.

3. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to respect the Freedom

Freedom means having the autonomy to make choices and act without undue interference or coercion from others. In the context of artificial intelligence (AI) and human rights, it highlights each person’s right to self-determination and control over their own life and personal data, even as AI systems increasingly influence our daily decisions. Freedom is a cornerstone of human rights and a foundational principle in AI ethics, ensuring that technology upholds individual autonomy rather than undermining it. The rise of AI has a direct impact on fundamental freedoms—from freedom of expression online to the right to privacy—making it crucial that AI is developed and used in ways that respect and protect these rights. Legal frameworks worldwide recognize these freedoms; for example, data protection laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) give individuals more control over their personal information, reinforcing their freedom from unwarranted surveillance or data misuse. In practice, this means AI systems should be designed to empower users—allowing people to access information, form opinions, and make choices without being manipulated or unjustly restricted by algorithms.  

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indispensable for scientific research and creative activity.

4. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the benefits to be derived from the encouragement and development of international contacts and co-operation in the scientific and cultural fields.

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(2006) #

G.A. Res. 61/106, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, U.N. Doc. A/RES/61/106 (Dec. 13, 2006)

Article 29

States Parties shall guarantee to persons with disabilities political rights and the opportunity to enjoy them on an equal basis with others, and shall undertake:

(a) To ensure that persons with disabilities can effectively and fully participate in political and public life on an equal basis with others, directly or through freely chosen representatives, including the right and opportunity for persons with disabilities to vote and be elected, inter alia, by:

(i) Ensuring that voting procedures, facilities and materials are appropriate, accessible and easy to understand and use;

(ii) Protecting the right of persons with disabilities to vote by secret ballot in elections and public referendums without intimidation, and to stand for elections, to effectively hold office and perform all public functions at all levels of government, facilitating the use of assistive and new technologies where appropriate;

(iii) Guaranteeing the free expression of the will of persons with disabilities as electors and to this end, where necessary, at their request, allowing assistance in voting by a person of their own choice;

(b) To promote actively an environment in which persons with disabilities can effectively and fully participate in the conduct of public affairs, without discrimination and on an equal basis with others, and encourage their participation in public affairs, including:

(i) Participation in non-governmental organizations and associations concerned with the public and political life of the country, and in the activities and administration of political parties;

(ii) Forming and joining organizations of persons with disabilities to represent persons with disabilities at international, national, regional and local levels.

Article 30

States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to take part on an equal basis with others in cultural life, and shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities:

(a) Enjoy access to cultural materials in accessible formats; (b) Enjoy access to television programmes, films, theatre and other cultural activities, in accessible formats;

(c) Enjoy access to places for cultural performances or services, such as theatres, museums, cinemas, libraries and tourism services, and, as far as possible, enjoy access to monuments and sites of national cultural importance.

States Parties shall take appropriate measures to enable persons with disabilities to have the opportunity to develop and utilize their creative, artistic and intellectual potential, not only for their own benefit, but also for the enrichment of society.

States Parties shall take all appropriate steps, in accordance with international law, to ensure that laws protecting intellectual property rights do not constitute an unreasonable or discriminatory barrier to access by persons with disabilities to cultural materials.

Persons with disabilities shall be entitled, on an equal basis with others, to recognition and support of their specific cultural and linguistic identity, including sign languages and deaf culture.

With a view to enabling persons with disabilities to participate on an equal basis with others in recreational, leisure and sporting activities, States Parties shall take appropriate measures:

(a) To encourage and promote the participation, to the fullest extent possible, of persons with disabilities in mainstream sporting activities at all levels;

(b) To ensure that persons with disabilities have an opportunity to organize, develop and participate in disability-specific sporting and recreational activities and, to this end, encourage the provision, on an equal basis with others, of appropriate instruction, training and resources;

(c) To ensure that persons with disabilities have access to sporting, recreational and tourism venues;

(d) To ensure that children with disabilities have equal access with other children to participation in play, recreation and leisure and sporting activities, including those activities in the school system;

(e) To ensure that persons with disabilities have access to services from those involved in the organization of recreational, tourism, leisure and sporting activities.