Thousands of workers lost their jobs last week — laid off by CEOs anticipating sweeping changes to their businesses made possible by the latest advances in artificial intelligence. What seemed like science fiction not five years ago is fast becoming reality, with AI agents serving as personal assistants, AI coding tools transforming workplaces, and AI “slop” flooding social media. None of this should come as a surprise; the warnings have been coming for years. As a new world looms, we must take steps to safeguard our democracies from the imminent upheaval to economies, politics, and everyday life.
The following selection of Journal of Democracy essays includes contributions from top experts on artificial intelligence explaining how AI could change our democratic futures. Read free for a limited time!
AI and Catastrophic Risk
AI with superhuman abilities could emerge within the next few years, and there is currently no guarantee that we will be able to control them. We must act now to protect democracy, human rights, and our very existence.
Yoshua BengioThe Real Dangers of Generative AI
Advanced AI faces twin perils: the collapse of democratic control over key state functions or the concentration of political and economic power in the hands of the few. Avoiding these risks will require new ways of governing.
Danielle Allen and E. Glen WeylThe AI Democracy Dilemma
A revolution in political participation is underway: Political players and advocacy groups are using AI to draft ballot initiatives, gather signatures, and persuade voters—undermining democratic legitimacy in the process.
David AltmanThe Danger of Runaway AI
Science fiction may soon become reality with the advent of AI systems that can independently pursue their own objectives. Guardrails are needed now to save us from the worst outcomes.
Tom DavidsonHow AI Threatens Democracy
Generative AI can flood the media, internet, and even personal correspondence, sowing confusion for voters and government officials alike. If we fail to act, mounting mistrust will polarize our societies and tear at our institutions.
Sarah Kreps and Doug KrinerAI’s Economic Peril
AI will transform work and entire economies. The potential benefits also bring a dire risk of rising inequality and job losses. But the worst outcomes can still be avoided.
Stephanie A. Bell and Anton KorinekThe Authoritarian Data Problem
AI is destined to become another stage for geopolitical conflict. In this contest, autocracies have the advantage, as they vacuum up valuable data from democracies, while democracies inevitably incorporate data tainted by repression.
Eddie Yang and Margaret E. RobertsReimagining Democracy for AI
Advances in AI are rapidly disrupting the foundations of democracy and the international order. We must reinvent our democratic infrastructure to ensure our ability to govern in a dramatically different technological world.
Aviv OvadyaAI’s Real Dangers for Democracy
Artificial intelligence and its effects on democracy are a matter of choice, not fate. The concerns are longer term than the recent spate of worry about “generative” AI would suggest. The democratic conversation about AI has hardly begun.
Dean Jackson and Samuel C. WoolleyHow Autocrats Weaponize AI — And How to Fight Back
Artificial Intelligence has become autocrats’ newest tool for surveilling, targeting, and crushing dissent. But this supercharged technology doesn’t need to favor tyrants. Activists must learn how to harness it in the fight for freedom.
Albert Cevallos
Subscribe here to have curated collections like this one and other Journal of Democracy news delivered directly to your inbox.
Image credit: Yuichiro Chino via Getty Images