A Challenge for a Primavera Digitale: The Phantom Influence of Artificial Intelligence Systems

The text examines why people tolerate digital surveillance and algorithmic control more than similar intrusions in the physical world, suggesting this reflects changing expectations about rights. It argues that current human rights frameworks are inadequate for the digital age. Drawing on Hannah Arendt’s view that rights depend on socio-political conditions, the author introduces the idea of a “phantom influence” of digital technologies, claiming that AI systems may actually constrain the environment in which rights can emerge, raising the question of whether algorithmic governance supports or undermines human rights.