What impact does artificial intelligence have on democratic processes? And what opportunities, limitations and societal challenges arise from its use?
These questions were at the heart of the event “Light and Shadow of AI Development: How Can We Protect Democracy?”, held on 17 September at the Innovation Campus Lemgo.
The evening was organised by Dr Sonja Girod (VHS Detmold-Lemgo) and Prof. Dr Markus Lange-Hegermann (inIT). The event was deliberately designed as a dialogue-oriented format: after the talks, there was plenty of room for questions and discussion before selected topics were explored in greater depth together with the participants in workshops.
From the Development of Today’s AI to Democratic Values
In the first short talk, Annemarie Witschas from Osnabrück University addressed anti-democratic tendencies in the context of artificial intelligence. Among other topics, she discussed the use of AI and big data as tools of anti-democratic politics as well as ideological ideas linked to the development of AI technologies. Using concrete examples, she addressed issues such as surveillance and disinformation and invited discussion on the democratic risks that may accompany current technological developments.
Annemarie Witschas is a research associate in the research group Ethics and Critical Theories of AI at Osnabrück University. Her research focuses in particular on power and participation in the context of AI as well as on the question of how alternative and emancipatory technological futures can be shaped.
What Role Can AI Play in Democratic Processes?
In the second talk, Dr Theresa Züger from the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society presented findings from the transdisciplinary research project “Impact AI”. The project investigates how the societal impact of AI applications can be assessed, with a particular focus on the common good and sustainability.
Using several case studies, Dr Theresa Züger showed how AI is already being used to support democratic processes, for example in fact-checking. At the same time, she emphasised that AI does not replace human responsibility: the systems examined can, for instance, filter and summarise information or provide initial guidance, but decisions and assessments ultimately remain a human responsibility.
The talk also addressed potential trade-offs associated with the use of AI, including questions of sustainability, human rights and justice, as well as the compatibility of AI applications with democratic values.
Recognising AI Fakes and Discussing Societal Impacts
Following the talks, workshops offered participants the opportunity to explore individual questions in greater depth and engage in direct discussion.
Andreas Besginow, research associate in the Mathematics and Data Science research group at inIT, led the workshop “AI Fakes and Democracy in Everyday Life – Check Before You Share”. In an interactive test, participants first had the chance to assess for themselves which images and videos were authentic and which had been AI-generated or manipulated. The workshop then focused on how suspicious content can be checked systematically. Andreas Besginow introduced, among other approaches, the SIFT method (Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace) and presented resources that can help verify questionable content.
In the workshop “The AI Boom and Democratic Values – A Challenge for Society”, Annemarie Witschas explored key questions from her talk together with the participants. The discussion covered, among other topics, how AI-generated political communication should be assessed, what role education and media literacy can play, and how such content should be handled on social media platforms.
Strong Interest and Plenty of Room for Discussion
The event attracted considerable interest: around 50 participants came to the Innovation Campus Lemgo to learn more about the impact of artificial intelligence on democratic processes and to contribute their own questions and experiences. Both after the talks and during the workshops, lively discussions developed with numerous questions and contributions from the audience.
Prof. Dr Markus Lange-Hegermann was pleased with the positive response:
“We are very pleased that this highly relevant topic attracted so many interested people to our campus. AI and democracy concern all of us – which makes it all the more important not to discuss these questions only within academia, but to engage directly with the public. The collaboration with everyone involved in the event was also really great.”
The event took place as part of the KI-Akademie OWL and brought scientific perspectives together with questions, experiences and discussions from the wider public.
→ Learn more about KI-Akademie OWL:
https://ki-akademieowl.de