AI and Assembly

Toussaint Nothias is Clinical Associate Professor in Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement, and Affiliate Faculty in Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University.Lucy Bernholz is a Senior Research Scholar at Stanford University's Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, and was the Founding Director of the Digital Civil Society Lab.

"This book is a road sign, a forewarning on the broader impact of AI on assembly and association rights. In exploring this intersection, the book paves the pathways for the reorientation of frontline civic actions in the face of AI."—Nicholas Opiyo, Executive Director, Chapter Four Uganda "AI and Assembly pierces through the AI hype and delivers a thoughtful exploration of AI's place in the history of technology development and its relationship to people and power. The featured community of scholars challenges us to rethink perceived boundaries between physical and digital space and sets the reader on an important path to recognize why assembly and association are critical rights in the modern AI era. A must-have volume." —Nicole Ozer, Technology and Civil Liberties Director, ACLU of Northern California and 2024-2025 Technology and Human Rights Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Carr Center "AI and Assembly reorients readers to threats that AI systems pose to human rights. Nothias and Bernholz brilliantly and convincingly argue that AI jeopardizes our freedom to assemble beyond just freedom of expression. Essential reading for those who want to understand and democratically shape AI's role in civil society and AI's impact on our freedoms."—Mary L. Gray, MacArthur Fellow and co-author of Ghost Work: How to Stop Silicon Valley from Building a New Global Underclass "Much more than expanded calculative power, AI puts culture together in new ways, driven by corporate imperatives rather than social values. This highly imaginative collection approaches this crucial development by asking how AI transforms how we assemble and appear to each other, both on the streets and online: a model example of how to expand public debate about AI beyond mere technology."—Nick Couldry, London School of Economics and Political Science "What would human life be like without the ability to choose your relationships and gather with others? This book takes us on a journey to understand the power of collective rights in a digital world that increasingly treats us as individuals. I recommend it to anyone seeking to escape the stranglehold of individualism in conversations about technology."—J. Nathan Matias, Citizens and Technology Lab, Cornell University "AI and Assembly shifts the speech-dominant perspective to another critical other freedom: that of assembly. Ultimately, AI is about agency – who has it and who does not; what we are able to know and how we can hold the technology companies to account. AI will impact the way we organize and assemble at its core and this critical book helps us understand how."—Marietje Schaake, author of The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley