Andreas Jungherr - AI and Democracy

The success and widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) have increased awareness of its economic, social and political impact. The public debate currently focuses on AI models that enable the automated creation of text, image, video or audio content. The use of these models in journalism, in election campaigns and by the state raises questions and fears about their potential impact on democracy. The idea of powerful machine intelligence, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), has triggered far-reaching expectations and fears regarding its potential or threats. However, current AI successes have little to do with a still largely fictitious AGI. Instead, specific AI-supported applications usually fulfill clearly defined tasks in specific areas.

We cannot automatically assume that the successes of AI in other areas of society can automatically be transferred to politics or democracy-related areas. To better assess the impact of AI on democracy, we need to take a closer look. Therefore, this presentation focuses on four important building blocks of democracy: political self-determination, equality, elections, and on the conflict between democracies and autocracies.