Exploring emerging AI as subject and object in democracy-focused evaluation - Updating our shared perspective

As Generative AI (GenAI) tools have become increasingly accessible, their implications for democracy and democracy evaluation have multiplied. In these discussions, contradictory opinions exist side-by-side: on the one hand AI has the capacity to destabilise the very foundations of democracy; on the other, AI tools may supercharge evaluation and increase access to democratic processes. Navigating these binaries is not easy; but the mainstreaming of generative AI raises fundamental questions for democracy practitioners and evaluators. This Think Tank session will take a closer look at original research conducted by the MERL Tech Initiative on AI in MERL for democracy programming. We will revisit our initial 2024 research in light of recent seismic shifts regarding both democracy and technology. Through a lively and hands-on debate about how to understand the use of AI in democracy related MERL we seek to establish a shared updated understanding of how to approach this critical question.
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