“In the socio-political and economic landscape of 2035, the accelerating application of automation will not merely reshape human capabilities, it will reorganize the framework upon which our understanding of the individual and society is built. Algorithmic systems are not only replacing and augmenting human decision-making but reshaping the categories that structure our social fabric, eroding long-held notions of the individual. As we move deeper into this era, change may render the very idea of the individual, once a central category of our political and legal systems, increasingly irrelevant, and thus radically reshape power relations within our societies.
“The ongoing shift is more than a technological change; it is a profound reordering of the categories that structure human life. The growing integration of predictive models into everyday life is challenging three core concepts of our social structure: identity, autonomy and responsibility.
Datafication is fundamentally fueled by the corporate pursuit of efficiency where the commodification of personal data becomes an instrument of profit. The economies of scale underlying the development of these technologies consolidate power in the hands of a few dominant technology corporations. This concentration of power does not merely entrench existing social inequalities; it is threatening to erode the very foundations of political systems that have traditionally relied on individual agency as their cornerstone most notably, democratic systems. In this context, the shift from individual autonomy to algorithmic control challenges the principles of self-determination and collective governance that underpin the modern democratic order of our societies.
“Identity: Contingent, fragmented and externally governed
Identity‚ once conceived as fixed and somewhat self-determined‚ is being reshaped into something contingent, fragmented and externally governed by opaque systems. At the heart of this transformation of identity lies datafication‚ the process by which human characteristics, actions and even emotions are converted into data points to be processed and acted upon by machines.
“This process is not neutral; it is driven by technologies whose primary function is to segment and group individuals based on their behaviors, and predictions of their likely behaviours (future behaviour or unrecorded past behaviour) in order to increase efficiency. In doing so, these technologies are challenging the categories that have traditionally defined human ordering‚ age, gender, nationality and past actions.
“As datafication deepens, we are increasingly categorized not as individuals with unique identities, but as probabilistic projections that the systems driving the economy, governance and culture find useful.
“These groups are often more granular than existing categories. For example, a recent study conducted by The Markup uncovered a file containing 650,000 distinct labels employed by advertisers to classify people. For perspective, this amounts to more than two labels for every one of the 270,000 words listed in the Oxford English Dictionary. Meanwhile, these technological systems can also create categories that are broader than what human comprehension can envision.
“AI systems can process data at a scale that individual humans cannot and bring together a broad range of categories of individuals that our existing culture might have found reasons to separate, even when efficiency or relevant similarities might demand they are collapsed. As automation gains ground, traditional markers of identity fade, replaced by increasingly abstract classifications that reflect the needs and goals of the corporations and governments that deployed them.
“What are autonomy and freedom under new constraints?
Autonomy is another key element that is under strain. As AI systems continue to infiltrate various sectors from healthcare to the legal system, decisions about access to services, to opportunities and even to personal freedoms are increasingly made based on data-driven predictions about our behavior, our history and our expected social interactions. These decisions are no longer based on an understanding of individuals as autonomous beings but as myriad data points analyzed, categorized and segmented according to obscure statistical models. The individual, with all the complexity of lived experience, becomes increasingly irrelevant in the face of these algorithms.
AI also offers new possibilities for societal change. The same AI systems that are reshaping identity may enable a more-comprehensive response to social issues. AI may allow policymakers to better understand and address systemic issues such as inequality. The reconfiguration of individual identity through AI could become the basis for a more collective, interconnected vision of human existence if, and only if, these technologies are directed toward common human goals. As we approach 2035, the challenge before us is not merely technological development, but political coordination to address the forces reshaping our understanding of self and society.
“The legal conception of personhood redefined
The implications of this transformation are particularly evident in the reorganization of legal personhood. Historically, legal personhood has been tied to the concept of individual identity, as individuals are recognized as holding rights and responsibilities for their actions within the state. However, as AI-driven systems become more entrenched in governance, the legal conception of personhood is being redefined.
“Algorithmic subjectivity, especially in cases in which determinations of rights and duties are based on predictions and projections made by algorithms, undermines the notion of the individual as a legal subject. In that realm, we are increasingly subject to algorithmic categorizations based on data points that can be far removed from our actions and comprehension that may unfairly decide what we can do, where we can go and what rights we have.
“Challenges to self-determination and collective governance
These three shifts have profound political implications. The underlying process of datafication is fundamentally fueled by the corporate pursuit of efficiency, where the commodification of personal data becomes an instrument of profit. The economies of scale underlying the development of these technologies consolidate power in the hands of a few dominant technology corporations. This concentration of power does not merely entrench existing social inequalities; it is threatening to erode the very foundations of political systems that have traditionally relied on individual agency as their cornerstone‚ most notably, democratic systems.
“In this context, the shift from individual autonomy to algorithmic control challenges the principles of self-determination and collective governance that underpin the modern democratic order of our societies.
“We must address the forces reshaping our understanding of self and society
While the rise of AI presents profound risks, it also offers new possibilities for societal change. The same AI systems that are reshaping identity may enable a more comprehensive response to social issues. By focusing not on individuals but on the broader networks of behavior and interaction, AI may allow policymakers to better understand and address systemic issues such as inequality. The reconfiguration of individual identity through AI could become the basis for a more collective, interconnected vision of human existence if, and only if, these technologies are directed toward common human goals.
“But this potential can only be realized if we develop robust legal frameworks, meaningful public oversight and collective guidance for technological development. As we approach 2035, the challenge before us is not merely technological development, but political coordination to address the forces reshaping our understanding of self and society. To ensure that AI serves humanity, we must confront the economic structures that currently drive technological progress.
“The next decade will reveal whether this technological transformation benefits the many or consolidates power in the hands of a few. Three key trends suggest that power consolidation is most likely.
- First, horizontal consolidation: A small number of companies dominate the AI sector.
- Second, vertical consolidation: Data-processing companies like Microsoft, Google and Facebook are increasingly seeking to control AI development and energy resources.
- Third, the rise of nationalism: In the U.S. and other nation-states politics may undermine efforts by institutions to challenge these companies.”
This essay was written in January 2025 in reply to the question: Over the next decade, what is likely to be the impact of AI advances on the experience of being human? How might the expanding interactions between humans and AI affect what many people view today as ‘core human traits and behaviors’? This and nearly 200 additional essay responses are included in the 2025 report “Being Human in 2035.”