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Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies are rapidly transforming everyday life. As psychologists have argued (Ganapini et al., 2026), they are creating an AI-assisted cognitive extension of human thinking that precedes intuitive and deliberative cognitive systems, reshaping social interaction and democratic life. Democratic innovations are likewise being transformed, as AI-assisted tools promise to mitigate trade-offs between scale, inclusiveness and the quality of deliberation. They can process contributions, identify patterns of agreement and disagreement, support translation and information retrieval, facilitate discussion, synthesise arguments and extend deliberative processes to more diverse audiences (OECD, 2026).
At the same time, these technologies raise methodological, normative and ethical questions, including dependence on commercial corporations, digital sovereignty, data governance and democratic infrastructures. These challenges are especially relevant for local administrations and civic actors (Ohren et al., 2026). Awareness of these ambivalences is encouraging alliances among actors seeking to mitigate risks such as algorithmic bias and the erosion of democratic control, while harnessing AI to reshape local governance through participatory, ethical, context-sensitive and situated public services.
This panel invites theoretical, empirical and methodological contributions on how AI is reshaping public deliberation, contributing to policymaking and strengthening democratic governance, and on the conditions under which it complements human judgement and enhances citizens’ capacities—or substitutes for human agency and weakens them.
Contributions may address two broad sets of issues:
1. The localisation of AI, including efforts to connect diverse actors, reduce dependence on large technology corporations, retain ownership over data and AI training processes, and benefit from shared learning, common ethical standards and collective investment.
2. The use of AI in deliberative and participatory processes, including as facilitator, moderator, information provider, discursive agent, simulation tool or analytical instrument.
Relevant papers may examine algorithmic bias, opacity, hallucinations, privacy, accountability, epistemic autonomy, disinformation, unequal access, platform ownership, public procurement, auditing, regulatory capacity and proprietary infrastructures.
Bringing together deliberative democracy, democratic innovation, critical data studies and AI governance, the panel seeks to identify the methodological standards, institutional safeguards and normative principles required for AI to support public deliberation while strengthening its democratic foundations and preserving the human capacities at the core of democratic judgement.