Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to pollute public debate with fabricated images, cloned voices and mass-produced disinformation. But democratic-governance expert Beth Simone Noveck argues the same technology could help governments become more responsive, accessible and effective.
The danger is clear. President Donald Trump frequently will post online vulgar videos and images glorifying himself and attacking his enemies.
During the 2024 New Hampshire presidential primary, voters received robocalls featuring an AI-generated imitation of President Joe Biden’s voice that falsely encouraged them not to vote. The Federal Communications Commission later fined the political consultant behind the calls $6 million, although he was acquitted of state criminal charges. Such operations can be inexpensive to produce and difficult to trace.
These threats arrive during a global democratic decline. The V-Dem Institute reported that 74% of the world’s population lived under autocratic rule in 2025, while only 7% lived in liberal democracies. Its measures also documented significant democratic erosion in the United States.
In her book “Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy,” Noveck contends that governments should move beyond defending elections from deepfakes and use AI affirmatively. AI can translate ballots and public information, summarize lengthy proposals, identify misinformation campaigns and help officials analyze thousands of public comments.
Britain, for example, has tested an AI system called Consult to identify themes in responses to government consultations. Human experts reviewed its work, an important safeguard against bias and error. Officials estimated that broader deployment could save substantial staff time.
AI could also make government services easier to navigate, match residents with benefits and help legislatures organize public testimony.
However, Noveck cautions that technology cannot substitute for citizens or democratic judgment. Systems trained on biased data can reinforce inequality, while opaque algorithms may concentrate power and weaken accountability.
The central issue, she argues, is not whether AI is inherently democratic or authoritarian. It is who designs it, who controls it and whether its use remains transparent, independently evaluated and subject to meaningful human oversight.
Guest:
Beth Simone Noveck is a professor and director of the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University. She leads The Governance Lab and Innovate US, the fastest-growing AI learning community for public sector professionals. Her book is "Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy."
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This interview will be recorded live on Thursday September 10, 2026, at 12:30 p.m.
