Artificial Intelligence – Destroyer or Enabler of Democracy and Self-Determination?

This interdisciplinary project explores how AI technologies affect democracy, self-determination, and the distribution of power in society.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how decisions are made in public administration, healthcare, and digital platforms. But as AI systems take on increasingly autonomous roles, fundamental questions arise: Can they support democratic participation, or do they risk undermining transparency, equality, and human autonomy?

The project investigates AI’s dual role—as a potential threat to liberal democratic values and as a tool for empowering inclusive, value-aligned governance.

From philosophical analysis of algorithmic paternalism to political studies of automated governance, the research team examines how AI systems influence our capacity for self-rule. The project demonstrates how design choices impact trust, legitimacy, and democratic participation.

Key results include conceptual and practical insights into AI’s role in modern governance:

• The concept of automated systems of governing to describe AI’s growing influence in political administration, raising concerns around transparency and democratic legitimacy.
• A philosophical analysis highlighting AI’s ambiguous role in balancing autonomy and paternalism, showing how it challenges traditional notions of moral and political responsibility.
• CollAct, an agent-based simulation platform used to study how AI design choices influence collective action, trust, and inequality within democratic processes.
• A study of Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) revealing transparency gaps and normative concerns in algorithmic electoral guidance, emphasizing the need for ethical standards and user trust.

The project underscores that AI systems must be developed through interdisciplinary, value-sensitive approaches.

Without integrating ethical reflection, participatory design, and critical social inquiry, AI risks reinforcing inequality, reducing transparency, and shifting power from democratic institutions to private actors.