Surveillance Power, Populist Productivity Politics, and Democratic Safeguards: Human Rights Cities in the AI Era
Paul C. Hong [Distinguished University Professor, University of Toledo]
Byung Gwun Choy [Professor, Tashkent University of Information Technologies]
Young B. Choi [Professor, Regent University]
Jaedong Kang [Assistant Professor, Rajagiri Business School]
Abstract
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is transforming cities into dense infrastructures of digital surveillance, reshaping how authority is exercised and how individuals are monitored, evaluated, and included in urban systems. From workplace monitoring and algorithmic hiring to predictive policing and automated welfare screening, AI-enabled technologies increasingly determine access to opportunities and public services. Rather than serving as neutral tools of efficiency, these systems centralize data control, normalize continuous monitoring, and embed productivity metrics into governance processes, thereby shifting the balance between efficiency and rights protection. At the same time, populist productivity politics frames intensified surveillance and labor flexibility as necessary responses to global economic competition, legitimizing expanded monitoring while weakening privacy safeguards, labor protections, and democratic accountability. This paper argues that AI-driven surveillance should be understood as a structural human rights concern, as insufficient oversight can entrench exclusionary governance, amplify institutional asymmetries, and constrain civic participation. In response, the study advances a rights-based framework grounded in the Human Rights Cities movement, proposing participatory oversight mechanisms, transparency and data-minimization standards, worker representation in AI governance, and systematic municipal auditing aligned with international human rights principles. By reframing digital surveillance as an issue of governance and rights rather than technological efficiency, the paper highlights the critical role of cities in safeguarding dignity, privacy, and democratic values in the AI era.
Surveillance Power, Populist Productivity Politics, and Democratic Safeguards: Human Rights Cities in the AI Era
Paul C. Hong [Distinguished University Professor, University of Toledo]
Byung Gwun Choy [Professor, Tashkent University of Information Technologies]
Young B. Choi [Professor, Regent University]
Jaedong Kang [Assistant Professor, Rajagiri Business School]
Abstract
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is transforming cities into dense infrastructures of digital surveillance, reshaping how authority is exercised and how individuals are monitored, evaluated, and included in urban systems. From workplace monitoring and algorithmic hiring to predictive policing and automated welfare screening, AI-enabled technologies increasingly determine access to opportunities and public services. Rather than serving as neutral tools of efficiency, these systems centralize data control, normalize continuous monitoring, and embed productivity metrics into governance processes, thereby shifting the balance between efficiency and rights protection. At the same time, populist productivity politics frames intensified surveillance and labor flexibility as necessary responses to global economic competition, legitimizing expanded monitoring while weakening privacy safeguards, labor protections, and democratic accountability. This paper argues that AI-driven surveillance should be understood as a structural human rights concern, as insufficient oversight can entrench exclusionary governance, amplify institutional asymmetries, and constrain civic participation. In response, the study advances a rights-based framework grounded in the Human Rights Cities movement, proposing participatory oversight mechanisms, transparency and data-minimization standards, worker representation in AI governance, and systematic municipal auditing aligned with international human rights principles. By reframing digital surveillance as an issue of governance and rights rather than technological efficiency, the paper highlights the critical role of cities in safeguarding dignity, privacy, and democratic values in the AI era.