Empowering political participation through artificial intelligence

Abstract

Technologies based on artificial intelligence (AI) can radically change the existing political paradigm, empowering more diffused forms of political participation beyond elections-especially in the emergent worldwide context of unrestricted disclosure of governmental data online. The objective of this research is to investigate how civil society can use AI-based technologies to empower political participation. A sample of 721 publications was conducted through a combination of bibliometric analysis and systematic review, which revealed the characteristics and the nascent state of literature. This was followed by an exploratory Case Study, conducted through in-depth interviews and participant observation and supplemented by secondary materials. The content of the Case Study was extensively and systematically analysed through textual coding. We depicted a framework of how civil society can use AI-based technologies to nurture diffused political participation. This framework scrutinizes six focal areas and their respective dominant traits and descriptive features, aiming at contributing to guiding academic studies and political endeavours.