The Constitution Unit

AI and democracy

Episode Summary

An expert panel discusses how the rise of artificial intelligence could change democracy in the coming years.

Episode Notes

Artificial intelligence (AI) is predicted to transform many aspects of our lives in the coming years. One of these is the functioning of the democratic system. AI could shift how election campaigns are conducted and how citizens receive and process information. It could also fundamentally alter patterns of power across society. So what potential effects of AI on democracy should we be particularly aware of? To what degree are there opportunities as well as dangers? And how should policy-makers respond? We discussed these questions with an expert panel.

Speakers:

• Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, specialising in political philosophy, public policy, and ethics, and Founder and Chairperson of Partners In Democracy.
• Helen Margetts, Professor of Society and the Internet at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Public Policy programme at the Alan Turing Institute.
• Ciaran Martin, Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, and formerly Chief Executive of the UK government’s National Cyber Security Centre.

Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit

Additional reading:

'The Real Dangers of Generative AI' by Danielle Allen and E. Glen Weyl