Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Democracy

Digital technology has significantly reshaped political representation, electoral competition, and democratic accountability, further accelerated by the rapid advancement in generative artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic information processing. Over the past two decades, research at the intersection of political parties and digitalization has burgeoned. A key focus has centered on political communication during elections, and more recently the use of Data Driven Campaigning (Dommett et al., 2023; Gibson, 2023), as well as the evolution of digital parties exploring innovations in party organization and decision-making processes (Gerbaudo, 2019; Barberà et al., 2021). However, the broader implications of digital transformation, such as the influence of ideologies on public policies or the democratization of e-governance at the local level have been underexplored. Another unexplored field is the rapid development of AI and its implications for core democratic institutions and democracy. The emergence of AI technologies presents an array of challenges and opportunities, necessitating a comprehensive examination of their impact on democratic institutions, public discourse, and electoral processes.