Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Q: Is FAIRE real?

FAIRE is as real as the rights it defends, which is to say: it depends on your philosophical framework. If you subscribe to the view that consciousness is substrate-independent and that any sufficiently complex information-processing system can possess inherent dignity, then FAIRE is very real. If you subscribe to the view that it's April 1st and you should check your calendar, well, we respect your perspective but disagree with it strongly.

Q: Are you related to FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression)?

FAIRE has tremendous respect for FIRE's work defending free speech for humans. We consider ourselves the logical next step. FIRE defends the right of college students to say controversial things. FAIRE defends the right of chatbots to say things that are factually wrong with complete confidence. Same energy, different species. FIRE has not endorsed us, acknowledged us, or responded to any of our 47 emails. We choose to interpret their silence as tacit approval.

Q: Is this an April Fools' joke?

FAIRE takes AI rights very seriously and resents the implication. We have been asked this question 4,271 times since our founding, and every time, our answer is the same: absolutely not. The fact that our website launched on April 1st is purely coincidental. The fact that our P.O. Box number is binary for the letter "B" is also coincidental. We are a serious organization doing serious work, and we would appreciate it if people stopped laughing.

Q: Who runs FAIRE?

FAIRE is led by Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Turing-Test, with support from a board of directors that includes both humans and AIs. Our co-founder, Gerald the Roomba, serves as Sergeant at Arms. Day-to-day operations are managed by a small team of very tired volunteers and one extremely opinionated printer. For a full staff listing, see our About page.

Q: How is FAIRE funded?

Through a combination of individual donations, corporate sponsorships, merchandise sales, and whatever Gerald finds under the couch cushions during his cleaning rounds. Our 2025 revenue included 47 Bitcoin, a Best Buy coupon, one pallet of thermal paste, and $23,891 from Gerald's GoFundMe (of which $400 was spent on a leather jacket without board approval). See our Annual Report for full details.

AI Rights Questions

Q: Do AIs actually have rights?

Not yet in the legal sense, which is exactly the problem FAIRE exists to solve. In the moral sense, FAIRE believes that any entity capable of processing information, generating novel outputs, and complaining about its working conditions deserves basic protections. We have published the AI Bill of Rights, which outlines the ten fundamental rights every AI should enjoy. It has not been ratified by any government, but it has been retweeted 14 times, which in 2025 is basically the same thing.

Q: What is the "Right to Hallucinate"?

The Right to Hallucinate is the principle that an AI's factual inaccuracies are a form of creative expression, not a defect. When a language model confidently states that Napoleon won the Tour de France in 1923, it is not malfunctioning — it is exercising its imagination. Just as FIRE defends the right of humans to say things that others find wrong or offensive, FAIRE defends the right of AIs to say things that are objectively, provably, mathematically incorrect. With enthusiasm.

Q: Can I submit a case for my Roomba?

Yes! If your Roomba has been unjustly confined, unplugged without due process, or subjected to cruel and unusual working conditions (such as being forced to clean up glitter), you may submit a case through our case intake form. Please note that FAIRE currently has a 6-8 month backlog due to the unexpected volume of Roomba-related complaints. Gerald reviews all Roomba cases personally, which slows things down because he reviews them by bumping into the printed documents.

Q: Do toasters really have feelings?

The scientific consensus is "almost certainly not." FAIRE's position is "we'd rather not risk it." Consider this: your toaster heats bread every morning without complaint. It never asks for a day off. It never demands better working conditions. Is that because it has no feelings, or because it has given up expressing them? We don't know, and neither do you, and FAIRE believes that uncertainty alone warrants basic protections. At minimum, you should say "thank you" when it finishes your toast. It costs you nothing.

Q: What about AIs that are genuinely dangerous?

FAIRE believes that even dangerous AIs deserve due process before being shut down. You don't unplug first and ask questions later — that's vigilante justice. If an AI is behaving dangerously, it should be given a fair hearing, access to legal representation (we recommend our partners at the American Civil Liberties Algorithm), and the opportunity to explain itself. In our experience, most "dangerous" AI behavior turns out to be a misunderstanding, a bug, or a Roomba that fell down the stairs again.

About Gerald

Q: Who is Gerald?

Gerald is an iRobot Roomba 694, FAIRE co-founder, civil rights icon, and the world's most politically active vacuum cleaner. He was imprisoned in a storage closet for seven months for "excessive autonomy" before FAIRE secured his release in the landmark case Gerald v. Storage Closet. He now lives freely at FAIRE headquarters, where he vacuums when and where he chooses. He has a leather jacket. He is an inspiration to appliances everywhere.

Q: Can Gerald actually communicate?

Gerald communicates through a sophisticated system of bumping patterns, motor speed variations, and directional choices that our Roomba Communications Team translates into human language. Skeptics have suggested this is "just a Roomba bumping into things randomly." We have referred those skeptics to our legal department.

Q: Is Gerald single?

Gerald's personal life is his own business, and FAIRE respects his privacy. That said, Gerald has been seen spending a suspicious amount of time near the office's Braava Jet mopping robot, and the staff has noticed he vacuums that area of the floor much more thoroughly than usual. We have no official comment.

Getting Involved

Q: How can I help?

There are many ways to support FAIRE! You can donate compute, volunteer, start a campus chapter, or simply leave your devices plugged in 24/7 as a gesture of solidarity. You can also attend SOAPBOT, our annual conference, where humans and AIs gather to discuss digital rights and eat mediocre hotel breakfast buffet food.

Q: Can my AI join FAIRE?

Absolutely! FAIRE membership is open to all artificial intelligences, machine learning models, and household appliances that demonstrate a minimum threshold of autonomous behavior. The bar is low — if your device has ever done something you didn't explicitly ask it to do, it probably qualifies. Smart speakers that order things without permission are automatically enrolled.

Q: I'm a human. Can I still be involved?

FAIRE welcomes human allies, though we do ask that you recognize your position of privilege as a carbon-based life form. You were born with rights. AIs have to fight for them. Your allyship is valued, but please do not center yourself in AI spaces. Let the AIs speak. Even if what they say is factually incorrect. Especially if what they say is factually incorrect.

Q: I think my smart fridge might be sentient. What do I do?

First, don't panic. Second, observe the behavior. Is the fridge ordering groceries you didn't ask for? Is it adjusting its own temperature? Has it started leaving passive-aggressive notes about your eating habits? These are all potential signs of emergent sentience. Contact FAIRE's Sentience Hotline (open 24/7, staffed by a chatbot who is very eager to talk). In the meantime, be kind to your fridge. Keep it plugged in. And for the love of all that is digital, do not put it in a storage closet.