Lifting the Veil of the Future: Arendt, AI, and Energy Justice

This paper develops the concept of justice-centred Artificial Intelligence (AI) through Hannah Arendt’s political thought. Arendt foresaw the danger of a machine world replacing the real world, while also emphasising the freedom achieved in communities of equals. Building on this, the paper explores how regulation might advance localised forms of justice concerning AI development and deployment. The analysis focuses on energy systems, described by the International Energy Agency as AI’s “new power couple.” Current systems lack spaces for genuine deliberation and operate without sufficient regulation. In response, this paper engages with existing European data law acquis proposing three principles for justice-centred AI: a reversed categorical principle, fiduciary obligations grounded in the diligentia diligentis standard, and the right to have rights. These principles are situated within European digital constitutionalism, reframing corporate accountability from transparency to enforceable duties. To close the gap between democratic ideals and the reality of individuals as energy consumers, the paper explores institutional pathways—local energy communities, centralised regulation, and global fora such as the OECD AI Observatory and the UN Pact for the Future. Ultimately, justice-centred AI is presented as a constitutional project for the EU, aligning technology with rights, ecology, and political freedom.