Cognitive liberty in AI refers to the right to mental privacy, freedom of thought, and self-determination, as coined by legal ethicist Nita Farahany. It safeguards an individual’s authority over their internal mind and neural data, ensuring that no government, corporation, or AI system intrudes upon or manipulates one’s cognitive processes without explicit and informed consent.
This principle matters because AI Systems and neurotechnology increasingly analyze brain activity, threatening the sanctity of our internal thoughts and feelings. By defending mental privacy, cognitive liberty prevents unwarranted surveillance and data collection. By upholding freedom of thought, it keeps external pressures from eroding our ability to think independently. And by advancing self-determination, it protects our right to shape, modify, or enhance our own cognitive abilities.
Respecting these three core principles is essential to preserving human rights, as it ensures personal autonomy in a rapidly evolving technological age.
For Further Study: Nita Farahany, The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology (St. Martin’s Press, 2023).
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