Artificial intelligence affects all policy areas from culture, justice and industry to defence, health care and education. Generative AI is a new generation of AI that can interpret and create text, images, videos and more. While easier to use and more accessible than traditional AI, it is also more powerful and unpredictable.
This report is about AI and democracy. It examines what AI might mean for elections and the public discourse, how it may be used for good in parliaments and public services, and how democratic control and governance of AI may be achieved.
Artificial Intelligence and Democracy - EPTA Report 2024
It results from the joint effort of members of the European Parliamentary Technology Assessment (EPTA) network. The network consists of 14 full member, and 11 associate member organisations and assists parliaments in exploring interactions between science, technology and society for policy.
19 EPTA members and associate members have contributed to this year’s report. Each member provides unique perspectives and experiences from their countries and regions on what policies are required to uphold democratic principles and values in the age of AI.
Each Member has assessed the following three topics:
- Artificial intelligence in political campaigning and public debate
- Artificial intelligence in parliaments and the public sector
- Democratic control and governance of artificial intelligence
The summary for policymakers synthesises overarching themes, differences, and similarities in member countries’ policy approaches to AI and democracy.
The Norwegian Board of Technology (Teknologirådet) holds the EPTA presidency for 2024 and has initiated and coordinated this analysis of artificial intelligence and democracy. Contributions were synthesised and summarised by the editorial team: Tore Tennøe, Jonas Engestøl Wettre and Hanne Sofie Lindahl.
The following report, however, is the result of a successful, distributed and unique effort from members in Europe, the US, and Japan, for which we are very grateful. It will be presented and discussed with representatives of 27 parliaments at the EPTA conference in the Storting in Oslo on 21 October 2024.
