Announcing the “Preserving What Makes Us Human in the Age of AI” Working Group

We recently launched the “Preserving What Makes Us Human in the Age of AI” Working Group, a new initiative convening experts across legal, technical, and philosophical disciplines to develop a foundational framework of rights and protections for the Age of AI.

As artificial intelligence systems increasingly shape how we think, work, relate, and create, we must define a set of core principles for safeguarding the human experience. The Preserving What Makes Us Human in the Age of AI Working Group will explore — and answer — a central question: What new or updated rights and legal protections are necessary to protect our humanity?

“AI poses new and novel challenges to our relationships, our cognitive abilities, our work, and even our sense of self,” our Senior Director of Strategy and Impact Camille Carlton said. “The Preserving What Makes Us Human in the Age of AI Working Group will move beyond passively admiring the AI problem to actively defining core principles for defending our humanity.”

“As important as it is to regulate this revolutionary technology, regulating companies is just one part of the equation. We must also establish the new rights necessary to protect people in an AI-driven future. This working group seeks to do exactly that.”

The Working Group is an initiative of CHT’s broader analysis examining AI and what makes us human. It will convene throughout the spring and summer of 2026 to examine AI’s impact across five core pillars of the human experience:

• Relationships

• Cognitive capacities

• Inner world

• Identities

• Work and contribution

Across each of these domains, the group will define shared norms and rights — that is, the deeply, uniquely human qualities of each that must be protected against encroachment from AI. Once defined, these principles can serve as a foundation for future governance, innovation, and public understanding.

The Group’s work will culminate in a public report to be published in the summer of 2026, outlining the specific rights and protections needed to preserve human dignity and agency.

Working Group participants include:

• Melodi Dinçer, UCLA School of Law

• Nita Farahany, Duke University

• Ann Kristin Glenster, University of Cambridge

• Edward Harcourt, Oxford University Institute for Ethics in AI

• Clare Huntington, Columbia Law School

• Molly Kinder, Brookings Institution

• Anna Su, Henry Jackman Faculty of Law, University of Toronto

• Alex Pascal, Harvard University

• Brett G. Scharffs, Brigham Young University

• Zahra Takshid, University of Denver Sturm College of Law

• Rebecca Winthrop, Brookings Institution

“The threat AI poses to our societies and ourselves cannot be addressed from any single point of view,” Carlton said. “This working group reflects a shared commitment to cross-disciplinary collaboration — and meaningful action.”

The Preserving What Makes Us Human in the Age of AI Working Group builds on momentum from the AI Roadmap, extending CHT’s policy efforts into a new phase of expert-driven development. Rather than solely diagnosing risks, the group will focus on identifying actionable frameworks that can guide policymakers, technologists, and civil society.