AI, cultural rights and development: APC and Derechos Digitales submit analysis to UN expert mechanism

The Association for Progressive Communications and Derechos Digitales have submitted a joint analysis to the UN Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development as part of its study on AI, cultural rights and the right to development. The contribution examines how AI is reshaping cultural life, identity and participation. It also highlights the ways in which these shifts intersect with core human rights principles.

The submission frames cultural rights as inseparable from civil, political, economic and social rights. It argues that when cultural expression is restricted or distorted, the broader right to development is also weakened. The authors note that technology, including AI, is increasingly shaping how stories are told, which languages are prioritised, what forms of art circulate, and how communities represent themselves. In this context, AI can act as both an enabler and a gatekeeper of cultural participation.

The contribution adopts a human-rights-based, feminist and intersectional perspective. It stresses that marginalised groups – including women, LGBTQIA+ people and Indigenous communities – have historically been excluded from dominant cultural narratives. AI systems trained on datasets that reflect these structural imbalances risk reproducing exclusion at scale. Issues such as biassed moderation, visibility algorithms and the appropriation of cultural expression for training datasets illustrate how these dynamics unfold in practice.

The submission situates AI within a broader discussion of ‘charismatic technologies’ – innovations that are often presented as transformative but are not always aligned with local cultural contexts. It points to research showing that societal expectations of AI differ significantly across cultures, yet AI systems continue to be developed and deployed predominantly through Western epistemologies. This concentration of technological power raises questions about cultural sovereignty, participation and equitable development.

The authors draw on existing UN and UNESCO frameworks, including the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, to underscore that cultural diversity, creativity and human dignity must guide the governance of AI. They also reference recent UN reports warning that data-driven systems may reinforce discrimination and social exclusion if not designed and regulated appropriately.

The submission argues that AI is not only transforming cultural production but also influencing who participates in shaping public knowledge and discourse. AI-generated content, trained on vast and often unconsented repositories of cultural material, challenges existing norms of authorship and intellectual rights. These trends, the authors note, have significant implications for communities whose cultural labour has long been under-recognised.

The text places these issues within the broader framework of the 1986 Declaration on the Right to Development, which holds that all peoples must be able to participate in and benefit from cultural, social, economic and political progress. When AI systems shape access to cultural life, they also shape the conditions under which development is possible.

The submission concludes that AI must be understood as a cultural infrastructure. Its design and governance will influence whether the technology contributes to more inclusive and diverse cultural ecosystems or reinforces existing inequalities. The authors call for policy approaches grounded in equality, accountability and meaningful participation to ensure that AI supports the realisation of the right to development for all.