Leveraging AI for Democracy: Civic Innovation on the New Digital Playing Field
Like social media before them, new AI tools promise to change the game when it comes to civic engagement. These technologies offer bold new possibilities for investigative journalists, anticorruption advocates, and others working with limited resources to advance democratic norms.
Yet the transformation wrought by AI advances is far from guaranteed to work in democracy’s favor. To better the odds for prodemocratic actors in a fluid technological environment, systematic thinking about how to make AI work for democracy is needed.
The essays in this report outline possible paths toward a prodemocratic vision for AI. An overview essay by Beth Kerley based on insights from the Forum’s expert workshops reflects on the critical questions that confront organizations seeking to deploy AI tools. Fernanda Campagnucci, spotlighting the work of Open Knowledge Brasil, explores how AI advances are creating new opportunities for citizens to scrutinize public information. Finally, Demos’s Carl Miller sheds light on how AI technologies that enable new forms of civic deliberation might change the way we think about democratic participation itself.
Please join authors Fernanda Campagnucci (University of Münster) and Carl Miller (Demos) to discuss this new report. Christopher Walker (National Endowment for Democracy) will provide opening remarks and Beth Kerley (International Forum) will moderate the discussion.
The National Endowment for Democracy is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. Each year, NED makes more than 2,000 grants to support the projects of non-governmental groups abroad who are working for democratic goals in more than 100 countries. Learn more at https://www.ned.org/
Follow NED:
Facebook - / national.endowment.for.democracy
Twitter - / nedemocracy
Instagram - / nedemocracy
LinkedIn - / national-endowment-for-democracy