How to Democracy: Innovation Potential and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence Systems

How to democracy: Innovation potential and challenges of artificial intelligence systems Artificial intelligence will influence the innovation potential of liberal democracies in many ways in the future. But what effects will the spread of AI have on the structure and dynamics of democratic public life? What opportunities and risks arise for democratic governance? And to what extent will citizens' opportunities for participation change? The answers to these questions will also have far-reaching implications for the integrity, solidarity and unity of European democracies. AI can, for example, strengthen democracy by providing data-based mechanisms to combat disinformation and cyber attacks and by ensuring access to reliable, high-quality information. However, AI can also create deceptively realistic photos and videos of politicians, which can have an enormous impact despite their obviously fake content. What opportunities do the EU and national governments have to establish joint institutions that are capable of strongly defending public interests, civil rights and democratic values, even against technical possibilities and economic incentives? In order to assess the significance and impact of AI on democracy, the paper provides an application-oriented overview of the current debate. In a first step, the state of research on AI and democracy and the dominant narratives are presented. In a second step, concrete examples are used to discuss where AI systems are already being used and what concrete opportunities individual technological solutions offer for democracy. The third part analyses the limitations and risks for democratic systems and highlights opportunities for regulation by the EU and individual national governments. Finally, it considers what this could mean for a renewal of integrity, solidarity and unity in Europe.