In the early 1950s, a group of writers gathered essays warning about the steady expansion of centralized power. They weren’t debating technology; they were debating responsibility. Essays on Liberty, Volumes I and II, contain seventy-four essays written during that era on the subject of freedom. One of those essays, number twenty in Volume I, was titled “Rights for Robots.”
The essay was written by Sir Ernest Benn, a successful English businessman and President of the Society of Individualists. It appeared as a condensed version of an address he delivered in 1950 under the same title. Benn was writing from post-war Britain. He was not concerned with machines gaining rights, but with humans losing agency. His central thesis was that socialism turns citizens into “robots.”
In the essay, Benn warns that when government becomes the substitute for personal responsibility, it “changes persons with responsibilities into robots with rights.” As citizens begin to rely on centralized planning, they concentrate on their “supposed rights and forget their responsibilities.” Over time, this shift erodes the habits that form character. And because liberty depends on individuals who can “stand on their own feet and accept their share of personal responsibility,” its loss becomes inevitable.
Benn’s warning was not new. The Founders understood the same principle. John Adams wrote that the Constitution was made “only for a moral and religious People,” and would be “wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Samuel Adams was even more direct: “Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private virtue.” In other words, liberty depends not merely on institutions, but on the character of the individuals who live under them.
Benn feared liberty would be taken by force, through centralized planning and state control. The Founders feared liberty would fail if virtue failed. But what if liberty is not seized from us at all? What if it is quietly surrendered?
The surrender of agency does not always arrive through legislation or decree. Sometimes it comes through habit.
Author Carlos Whittaker discovered this when he stepped away from screens for seven weeks. After realizing he was spending more than seven hours a day on digital devices, he chose to disconnect completely. That meant no phone, no social media, no AI-driven feeds. What he found was not simply more time, but a shift in awareness. Without constant digital mediation, he noticed how much of his attention, judgment, and even relationships had been shaped by systems designed to recommend, filter, and decide.
There had been no mandate. No law required him to outsource his attention. The shift had happened gradually, through convenience. Technology had not forced control; it had simply invited it. And over time, that invitation became habit.
Whittaker discovered that he had not been coerced into surrendering his attention. He had invited it away, one notification at a time. The erosion of agency did not feel like oppression. It felt like convenience.
We increasingly invite artificial intelligence to make decisions for us — to write, to recommend, to filter, to evaluate, to prioritize. No law compels us to do so. We choose it. Yet the principle Benn described remains unchanged. When responsibility shifts away from the individual, whether to the state or to a system, character begins to weaken. Judgment dulls. Habits of self-governance fade.
Artificial intelligence is not a political ideology. It is a tool. It does not compel obedience in the way centralized government can. But tools shape habits. And habits shape character. Liberty can be taken by force. But it can also be surrendered by invitation.
Mike Kieffer – Editor-in-Chief, Cedar Valley Sentinel
Mike Kieffer is a dynamic leader and community advocate based in Eagle Mountain, Utah. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Cedar Valley Sentinel, a local publication dedicated to informing, inspiring, and elevating the Cedar Valley community through honest and accurate journalism. With a passion for fostering connections, Kieffer has made it his mission to highlight local businesses, provide reliable news, and support community development.
Beyond his editorial role, Kieffer is the owner of Lake Mountain Media, LLC, a company specializing in media and communications, and the co-owner of Quail Run Farms, which focuses on sustainable farming and community engagement. He also actively contributes to the local economy and culture as a member of the Eagle Mountain Chamber of Commerce.
Kieffer’s dedication extends to preserving and promoting the history and heritage of the Cedar Valley area. He often participates in community-centered events and media, including podcasts that explore the unique aspects of life in the region. Through his varied endeavors, he remains a steadfast advocate for the growth and enrichment of the local community.