AI is changing citizen participation: are we ready?
/Have you noticed a shift happening everywhere at once? A chatbot helps residents access public services and share their opinions in Bogotá. Over in Derry, an AI tool helps facilitators surface common ground in a community dialogue. AI now reads thousands of participant responses in a fraction of the time it would take a team of analysts. Different tools, same underlying question: what should AI actually be doing in democratic participation, what requires guardrails, and what should it be kept away from?
A new report from the OECD and the German Bertelsmann Stiftung, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Citizen Participation, takes that question seriously. Drawing on 50 use cases from 22 countries, it maps nine ways AI is being used in participation – as well as the risks, from exclusion and skewed outputs to the temptation to simulate public opinion rather than consult the public.
A global conversation on AI for citizen participation
Join us on Tuesday, September 16, 9 am ET / 3 pm CEST / 8 pm Bangkok for a webinar unpacking the findings alongside case studies from practitioners already putting these tools to work. Featuring:
Case study presentations by Ireland Twiggs, Program Manager at Co-operation Ireland and Patiphan Srichai, Data Analyst at WeVis Thailand
Research report highlights and takeaways from Stefan Roch, Project Manager at Bertelsmann Stiftung, and Giulia Cibrario, Policy Analyst at OECD
Moderation by Nikhil Kumar, Senior Resource Manager at People Powered
After presentations, we’ll hold a moderated discussion and take questions from the audience. We will also use deliberAIde visualizations and summaries to demonstrate the potential of AI tools to support deliberation.
Going deeper: a hands-on workshop on September 30
If you want to go further, from research findings to practice, we're also hosting an interactive workshop on Wednesday, September 30, 9:00 am ET / 3:00 pm CEST.
In facilitated breakout groups led by practitioners working with these tools, participants will compare approaches, surface shared challenges, and leave with concrete ideas to use AI for citizen participation. DeliberAIde will support discussions in breakout rooms. Note that spots are limited.
This webinar and workshop are co-organized by People Powered, Bertelsmann Stiftung and the OECD.