Power & governance · Policy position
Democratic AI governance
Catalogued:
What it means
Approaches giving affected people a meaningful role in decisions about AI through accountable institutions, participation and contestable rules. This can involve legislatures, public consultation, worker representation or other mechanisms. It is not equivalent to taking an online vote on every technical change.
The strongest case
AI deployment distributes power and consequences. Technical expertise is necessary, but it does not by itself authorize deciding everyone else’s tradeoffs. Participation can reveal needs and costs that product teams overlook.
The difficult part
Representation, expertise and speed can conflict. Consultations can be performative, powerful groups can dominate and outcomes still require implementation. Evaluate whether participation changes decisions and whether people can challenge harmful uses.
Sources & further reading
Sources support the factual context. The jokes are our responsibility.