I felt this was a timely area of discussion given the current geopolitical tensions going on in the world. How is AI shaping public discourse, how is AI influencing elections and governance? I read an opinion piece recently mentioning that Elon Musk was basing his DOGE decisions on AI suggestions. For example, if you were to ask how to ensure that a department was running efficiently, why not ask everyone for the top 5 things they worked on last week. Run the answers through an AI model and select those employees who worked on things that would move your objectives forward. It is an overtly simple way of cutting the fat. So the question remains, is AI empowering us to make better decisions? Are we still the human at the table evaluating the suggestions that AI makes? Or is AI being used as a tool for manipulation?

How AI can strengthen Democracy?

These suggestions may be contrary to what is actually happening in the world today, but I do believe there is an opportunity to use AI for the purposes of moving democratic principles forward.

• Improved Civic Engagement: AI can analyze vast amounts of data to help voters make informed decisions. It can create summary tables of the key platform items and policies that may be of interest to you and compare those between candidates.
• Automated fact checking: Don’t take everything you read or hear at face value. Use AI to fact check and ask your AI tool to provide sources so that you also validate the information.

How can AI undermine Democracy?

• Deepfakes and Misinformation: AI generated content can deceive the public, manipulate the narrative, and erode trust in institutions. You can generate a video of any celebrity saying whatever you would like in a very convincing way. You have to look at everything you see online with a critical eye.
• AI Biases and Discrimination: Since AI models are trained on the data that is available on the internet, there are inherent biases. It is possible that AI reinforce social inequalities.
• Mass surveillance and manipulation: AI-driven data collection by governments and corporations raises concerns about privacy, targeting and erosion of individual freedoms.

There are more questions, research and time required to really understand the impact that AI is having on our democratic process. What kind of policies and safeguards can be put in place so that AI serves the objectives of democratic principles? It is a fine line between maintaining freedom of speech and expression and putting up guardrails that will protect democracy. Not everyone believes that the democratic way is the right way. Dictatorship versus democracy, capitalism vs communism, how do we ensure that all voices are heard without manipulation.

Transparency in AI models is more important now than ever. How results are interpreted by AI models and presented to the reader needs to be vetted by the reader. Keep an open mind but don’t take everything you read as fact no matter how convincing it may be. Stay informed and critical of AI’s role in shaping public opinion.

If we want AI to enhance democracy, we need to make sure that it’s designed with transparency, accessibility and accountability in mind. Always keep in mind that AI is being developed by corporations that serve shareholders and not necessarily democratic ideals. The question isn’t always ‘Can AI support democracy’ but ‘Who controls AI, and what is their end game.’ We need to continue to be vigilant because there are always bad actors out there who will exploit AI for disinformation, surveillance and control.

We have seen this before-new technology shakes things up, but people will adapt. The best way to protect democracy isn’t to fear AI, but to use it creatively to empower people rather than to isolate them. Remember that true AI is neutral, it’s impact depends on who controls it.