Halifax International Security Forum to focus on future of democracy
Defence Minister David McGuinty will host the Halifax International Security Forum, an event watched closely for its discussions among democratic allies about collective defence.
democracy
AI and Voter Engagement
Social media has been a familiar, even mundane, part of life for nearly two decades. It can be easy to forget it was not always that way.
In 2008, social media was just emerging into the mainstream. Facebook reached 100 million users that summer. And a singular candidate was integrating social media into his political campaign: Barack Obama. His campaign’s use of social media was so bracingly innovative, so impactful, that it was viewed by journalist David Talbot and others as the strategy that enabled the first term Senator to win the White House…
Will AI Strengthen or Undermine Democracy?
Listen to the Audio on NextBigIdeaClub.com
Below, co-authors Bruce Schneier and Nathan E. Sanders share five key insights from their new book, Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship.
What’s the big idea?
AI can be used both for and against the public interest within democracies. It is already being used in the governing of nations around the world, and there is no escaping its continued use in the future by leaders, policy makers, and legal enforcers. How we wire AI into democracy today will determine if it becomes a tool of oppression or empowerment…
Kathmandu: City of Peace, Economies of Scale and Cultural Diversity
While Nepal has some social tensions across and within religions, it is maintains robustly secular principles of governance combined with strong principles of religious freedom.
I met Chávez and Maduro. I know drugs are not the reason Trump wants war with Venezuela
I met with Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez just days after he was kidnapped. I’ll tell you about that, and the current President Nicolás Maduro’s visit to my New York office. But first you must know three things about Venezuela, to understand why Do…
Rewiring Democracy is Coming Soon
My latest book, Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship, will be published in just over a week. No reviews yet, but you can read chapters 12 and 34 (of 43 chapters total).
You can order the book pretty much everywhere, and a copy signed by me here.
Please help spread the word. I want this book to make a splash when it’s public. Leave a review on whatever site you buy it from. Or make a TikTok video. Or do whatever you kids do these days. Is anyone a Slashdot contributor? I’d like the book to be announced there…
AI and the Future of American Politics
Two years ago, Americans anxious about the forthcoming 2024 presidential election were considering the malevolent force of an election influencer: artificial intelligence. Over the past several years, we have seen plenty of warning signs from elections worldwide demonstrating how AI can be used to propagate misinformation and alter the political landscape, whether by trolls on social media, foreign influencers, or even a street magician. AI is poised to play a more volatile role than ever before in America’s next federal election in 2026. We can already see how different groups of political actors are approaching AI. Professional campaigners are using AI to accelerate the traditional tactics of electioneering; organizers are using it to reinvent how movements are built; and citizens are using it both to express themselves and amplify their side’s messaging. Because there are so few rules, and so little prospect of regulatory action, around AI’s role in politics, there is no oversight of these activities, and no safeguards against the dramatic potential impacts for our democracy…
AI in the 2026 Midterm Elections
We are nearly one year out from the 2026 midterm elections, and it’s far too early to predict the outcomes. But it’s a safe bet that artificial intelligence technologies will once again be a major storyline.
The widespread fear that AI would be used to manipulate the 2024 US election seems rather quaint in a year where the president posts AI-generated images of himself as the pope on official White House accounts. But AI is a lot more than an information manipulator. It’s also emerging as a politicized issue. Political first-movers are adopting the technology, and that’s opening a …
Trump hinted at plans to cancel 2028 election while talking to generals: Dem
President Donald Trump’s speech to hundreds of the US’ top generals on Tuesday hinted at plans to cancel the 2028 election, according to Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York. In an appearance on The Jim Acosta Show on Tuesday, Goldman said the spee…
Assessing the potential and challenges of the European Citizens’ Initiative
The European Citizens’ Initiative, rooted in the principles of civic participation and democratic legitimacy, is a significant achievement of the European Union. It grants European citizens the right to have a stronger voice and actively participate in EU policymaking.