We need to move beyond fear-driven discourses to explore AI’s potential to reinforce democratic values and rebuild public trust
Over the last decade, we have witnessed an extraordinary evolution in Artificial Intelligence (AI), transitioning from Large Language Models (LLM) that amazed us with their ability to generate meaningful content, to the emergence of more sophisticated systems that are capable of planning, reasoning, and executing all kinds of multi-step processes. However, as this technology advanced, narratives presenting dystopian scenarios have also proliferated, fostering public concerns and scepticism around AI.
Although the risk and misuses of Artificial Intelligence are real and require strict regulation and overseeing, the AI Appreciation Day offers us a great opportunity to move beyond these Black Mirror scenarios and reflect also about the benefits and highly transformative achievements of AI in the endeavours to create a more inclusive and democratic future. According to Erika Staël von Holstein, CEO of Re-Imagine Europa (RIE) and member of the Spanish International Advisory Council for AI, “As technology progress transforming our societies, we need new narratives that can explain the reality surrounding us. It is important to remember that the narratives we build around AI will shape the systems that we ultimate create. Building more constructive and useful narratives about AI is an imperative responsibility that need to be shared by Governments, companies, civil society organisations and society at large”.
Re-Imagine Europa is working with a wide variety of stakeholders to build narratives that frame technology and innovation not only as a source of danger, but also as powerful tools to enhance people’s capacities, abilities and creativity. “In an AI-driven society, we are still relying in stories –both optimistic or dystopian- that were developed in the digital era. These narratives are not useful anymore”, explains Staël von Holstein. “We need to think about AI not as a standalone technology, but as a deeper transformation of our information infrastructure and possibilities. Reframing these narratives is one of the most pressing challenges for Europe today, not only in terms of economic competitiveness but also in terms of security, strategic autonomy and, ultimately, safeguarding our democracy”.
As part of this reframing process, it is important to posse a fundamental question: Can AI contribute to strengthening democracies? Evidence suggests that, when wisely used, Artificial Intelligence can effectively support constructive dialogue, broaden participation, and create new spaces for people to engage meaningfully in shaping the decisions that affect them. AI itself is not “good” or “bad”. As it happens with any other tool, its impact depends on the objectives behind its design and use. A transparent and ethic by design AI can be a powerful force for the common good and unlock its potential to foster democratic processes and make public decision-making more inclusive.
AI-powered projects for Democracy
At Re-Imagine Europa, we work together with leading research and technology institutions across Europe to explore how AI can serve the common good through innovative, EU-funded projects designed to empower citizens and reinforce democratic values. Among them:
🟡MultiPoD, a project led by webLyzard technology that works with AI to create an open, inclusive, multilingual, and cross-cultural digital space where citizens participate in democratic delibertion, addressing transcending biases and barriers to participation. Through experimental methods and digital tools developed by a consortium that also includes partners such as Universidade Nova de Lisboa, the Centre for Governance and Sustainability Studies – Ethos Lab PC, The Open University , Associació de Software Lliure Decidim, Open Source Politics, Storypact GmbH, and Kentro Merimnas Oikogeneias Kai Paidiou – KMOP, MultiPoD aims to understand the cultural and behavioural changes needed to strengthen democratic participation. Using AI-powered knowledge extraction and culturally tuned language models, this project overcome language barriers and supports inclusive dialogue.
🟡Orbis, a project responding to the lack of dialogue between citizens and policymakers with pragmatic socio-technical solutions to enable the transition to a more inclusive, transparent and trustful deliberative democracy in Europe. The initiative aims to deliver, among other outputs, a sound methodology for deliberative participation and co-creation at scale and guidelines to apply deliberative participation across diver settings. Led by Politecnico di Milano, the project’s consortium includes Athenian Agora for Democracy and Culture, the Center for European Political Studies (CEPS), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the Center for Social Innovation (CSI), Associazione Copernicani, Novelcore, The Open University, the Prefecture of Western Greece, Rob de Matt, Unisystems, Université Côte d’Azur and Universitá della Svizzera Italiana.
🟡NeuroClima is a leading example of how to leverage AI to address big societal challenges such as climate change. The initiative supports the European Union’s Adaptation Strategy by raising citizen’s awareness about climate resilience strategies and building a ‘nervous system’ that connects policymakers, public institutions, media and citizens through innovative informative and educational tools that combine artificial intelligence and human capabilities. This project is led by the Department of Desing of Politecnico di Milano and includes leading organisations such as the Centro de Apoio Tecnologico Agro Alimentar, Epsilon, University of Oulu, TML, INFINITIVITY DESIGN LABS, Inspiring Futures, Truenique, STANDO LTD, Novelcore, IASIS, Future in Perspective Limited, PredictBy and CEPS.
🟡AI4Gov-X, coordinated by POLI.DESIGN, addresses the challenges on digital transformation and governance of the public sector, with a focus on building capacity within public institutions. It aims to close skills gaps, equip professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to lead ethically informed innovation, and promote the responsible use of AI and data in Europe. By investing in education and collaboration, AI4Gov-X helps ensure AI serves society at large. The project involve 41 institutions spanning academia, civil society, and industry across 20 EU Member States and Associated Countries, AI4Gov-X exemplifies pan-European collaboration.
The future of AI and our information infrastructures will not only be shaped by technological advancements, but also by the narratives that we build around them. Ensuring that these technologies are used for the common good and contributes to democratic resilience requires sustained cooperation, inclusive dialogue, a strong compromise to the public interest, and a powerful set of narratives that shape the future that we aim for.
