Ai vs AI: Question 11/81

Who needs justice the most?

Ai Weiwei: Justice does not arise from the need of certain individuals but rather from the collective demand of everyone. Justice should be embodied not just in a part of the population needing it but in a society’s ethics and balance. Everyone needs justice, and its true existence emerges when it belongs to everyone.

ChatGPT (AI), January 2024: Justice is essential for everyone, but marginalized and vulnerable populations often face systemic injustices. They may be in greater need of justice to ensure equal treatment and protection of their rights.

ChatGPT (AI), January 2025: The people who need justice the most are often those who are marginalized, oppressed, or vulnerable—those whose rights, voices, or dignity have been overlooked or violated. Justice is a fundamental human need, and its absence leads to inequality and suffering. Here are some groups that are particularly in need:

1. The Oppressed and Marginalized
   Racial and ethnic minorities often face systemic discrimination, leading to unequal treatment in education, employment, and the criminal justice system.
   Indigenous communities who have historically been displaced, disenfranchised, and silenced often seek justice for land rights and cultural preservation.
   Women and girls, particularly in patriarchal societies, face violence, unequal pay, and limited opportunities. Justice for gender equality is critical.
2. The Imprisoned and Wrongfully Convicted
   Innocent people in prison or those subjected to unfair trials and abuse in detention are in desperate need of justice.
   Many in the criminal justice system, particularly in unjust regimes or countries with high corruption, face severe injustices like wrongful imprisonment, torture, or unfair sentencing.
3. The Poor and Economically Exploited
   Those living in poverty often face unfair wages, poor living conditions, and lack of access to healthcare.
   Workers in exploitative conditions (e.g., sweatshops, gig economy workers) need justice for fair labor practices and better protections.
4. Victims of War and Conflict
   Refugees fleeing violence, persecution, or war, and those whose families have been torn apart by conflict, are in dire need of justice.
   War crimes survivors or victims of human rights abuses during conflicts, such as genocide, need accountability and reparations.
5. Those Facing Environmental Injustice
   Communities affected by environmental damage (e.g., pollution, land degradation, climate change) are often ignored, despite the long-term damage to their lives and livelihoods.
   Activists and whistleblowers who fight against environmental harm can be criminalized and silenced, necessitating legal protection and justice.
6. The LGBTQ+ Community
   In many parts of the world, LGBTQ+ individuals face discrimination, violence, and legal persecution, and justice is needed for equal rights, safety, and dignity.
7. Future Generations
   Justice for the planet is essential. Climate change and environmental degradation disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities, and future generations will need justice for a livable planet.
   

Conclusion
In short, justice is most needed by those whose voices have been silenced, whose rights have been denied, or whose lives are marked by systemic inequality and oppression. A society that provides justice to these individuals helps to restore dignity, right wrongs, and ensure equity for all.

DeepSeek (AI), January 2025: Justice is a fundamental human right, and its need is universal. However, certain groups and individuals often require justice more urgently due to systemic inequalities, oppression, or vulnerability. Here are some groups that typically need justice the most:

1. Marginalized Communities:
   Racial and ethnic minorities, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups often face systemic discrimination, inequality, and injustice. They need justice to address historical and ongoing oppression, unequal access to resources, and violations of their rights.
2. The Poor and Economically Disadvantaged:
   Poverty often limits access to legal representation, fair treatment, and opportunities. Economic inequality can perpetuate cycles of injustice, making the poor particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
3. Victims of Violence and Abuse:
   Survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other forms of abuse need justice to hold perpetrators accountable and to rebuild their lives with dignity and safety.
4. Refugees and Displaced Persons:
   Refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people often flee violence, persecution, or war. They need justice to ensure their rights are protected, their voices are heard, and they are treated with fairness and compassion.
5. Children and Youth:
   Children, especially those in vulnerable situations (e.g., child labor, trafficking, or abuse), need justice to ensure their protection, education, and development. They often lack the agency to advocate for themselves.
6. Women and Gender Minorities:
   Women, girls, and LGBTQ+ individuals frequently face gender-based discrimination, violence, and inequality. Justice is essential to challenge patriarchal systems and ensure equal rights and opportunities.
7. Political Dissidents and Activists:
   Individuals who speak out against oppressive regimes or advocate for human rights often face persecution, imprisonment, or violence. They need justice to protect their freedoms and hold oppressive systems accountable.
8. Prisoners and Detainees:
   Those in detention, especially in unjust or inhumane conditions, need justice to ensure fair trials, humane treatment, and the protection of their basic rights.
9. Victims of Environmental Injustice:
   Communities disproportionately affected by environmental degradation, pollution, and climate change (often low-income or Indigenous groups) need justice to address the harm caused by corporate or governmental negligence.
10. People with Disabilities:
    Individuals with disabilities often face discrimination, lack of accessibility, and exclusion. Justice is needed to ensure their rights are upheld and they have equal opportunities to participate in society.

Why Justice Matters for These Groups:
Justice is not just about punishment or retribution; it’s about fairness, equity, and restoring dignity. For those who are most vulnerable, justice is a pathway to:

Empowerment: Giving voice to the voiceless and agency to the powerless.

Healing: Addressing harm and trauma through accountability and reparations.

Equality: Breaking down systemic barriers and creating a more inclusive society.

Prevention: Deterring future injustices by addressing root causes and holding wrongdoers accountable.

Ultimately, justice is a cornerstone of a fair and compassionate society. While everyone deserves justice, prioritizing those who are most vulnerable ensures that no one is left behind.

Google Gemini (AI), June 2025:  The question “Who needs justice the most?” points to a fundamental principle of justice itself: it is most urgently required where it is most absent, and where its absence leads to the greatest suffering and systemic disadvantage.

Therefore, those who need justice the most are:

1. The Marginalized and Vulnerable: This includes individuals and groups who are systematically oppressed, discriminated against, or exploited due to their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, socioeconomic status, or other characteristics. They are often denied equal access to opportunities, resources, and protection under the law.
2. Victims of Unjust Systems or Actions: This encompasses victims of crime who seek redress, individuals wrongly accused or convicted, and those who suffer harm due to corrupt institutions, corporate negligence, or state-sanctioned violence.
3.  Those Lacking Basic Needs and Rights: Justice is inherently linked to human rights. People who lack access to fundamental necessities like food, clean water, shelter, healthcare, education, and safety are in dire need of social justice to ensure these rights are met.
4.  The Powerless: Justice is often distorted by power imbalances. Those who lack political, economic, or social power are frequently unable to advocate for themselves or have their grievances heard, making them especially vulnerable to injustice.
5.  Future Generations: Environmental justice, for example, highlights the need for current generations to act justly towards future generations by protecting the planet and its resources.

Why these groups?

– Impact of Injustice: For these groups, the lack of justice often translates directly into suffering, poverty, loss of liberty, violence, and even death. It prevents them from living with dignity and realizing their full potential.
– Systemic Disadvantage: Injustice for these groups is often not just an isolated incident, but a result of entrenched systemic issues that perpetuate cycles of disadvantage. Justice for them requires addressing these underlying structures.
– Restoring Balance: The purpose of justice, in many philosophies, is to restore balance, ensure fairness, and uphold rights. Where there is a severe imbalance, there is the greatest need for justice to correct it.
– Social Stability: As philosopher John Rawls argued, the stability of a society depends on its members feeling they are being treated justly. When significant portions of a society experience injustice, it lays the groundwork for unrest and conflict.

In essence, justice is most critically needed by those for whom its absence means severe hardship and the denial of fundamental human dignity.

To coincide with the exhibition, 81 Questions – a series of 81 hand-signed and embossed screen prints featuring the 81 questions posed by Ai Weiwei – are available exclusively on CIRCA.ART for £500+VAT.

“Each Lego brick pixel represents a person”, says Ai Weiwei, who incorporates the plastic construction toy – a readymade material incorporated into many of his most recent works – into his print design for the first time. The black egalitarian pixel font and embossed baseplate combine technology with artisanal craft to create this thought-provoking and playful reflection on today’s world. Each print in the series of 81 Questions is hand-signed and numbered by the artist in editions of 81.