Digital technology and artificial intelligence as a means of bringing institutions and citizens closer together

Brussels – How can democratic participation be fostered in the digital age? For many years, the European institutions have sought to bridge the gap between themselves and citizens through public consultations, information-rich websites, and various conferences. According to STOA, the European Parliament body dedicated to the assessment of scientific and technological options, that gap, however, is still very wide. A viable path forward could come from the world of digital technology and artificial intelligence. Today (9 June), STOA organised a meeting to discuss this and to explore how democracy and digital technology can move forward together.

“The time has come to understand how artificial intelligence can help citizens understand decision-making processes—said Brando Benifei, S&D MEP and co-rapporteur for the AI Act in the previous parliamentary term—and how it can help institutions to better understand citizens.” Today more than ever, Benifei continued, “we need concrete action at European level. The digital sector is dominated by large companies” that are focused on profits, but “the EU must consider how to capitalise on this favourable moment to get closer to the people.”

“If we truly wish to ‘improve civic participation'” pointed out Bjørn Bedsted, international director of DemocracyX, we must not forget that institutional conditions are far more important than technological tools.” Peter Mechels, project lead at Fedivariety, shares this view: “Even if the problem with platforms were resolved, technology is not the bottleneck. What is missing is institutional commitment, the political will to give citizens’ contributions a genuine mandate, to close the feedback loop so that people see their contributions translated into decisions. Without this, even the best civic tech platform becomes just another form of democratic theatre.”

Of course,” Bedsted pointed out, “digital tools can play their part. Among the recommendations of the research on the use of digital tools and artificial intelligence to promote citizen participation in the European Union’s decision-making processes,” he explained, “is the proposal to involve people at the various stages of the public policy cycle.”

The importance of engagement was emphasised by Marco Cappato, president and founder of Eumans. In the participatory process, “knowledge is also power: if the public knows what is being discussed, it is more difficult for those in power to ignore the issue,” he explained. Cappato also pushed for further digitalisation, making use of existing tools. By way of example, he described the bureaucratic difficulties associated with collecting signatures for euthanasia in Italy—which must be collected on paper and in the presence of a public official—which clash with the reality of digital signatures. The conclusion is clear: “If the technology of democracy is unable to modernise itself through digitalisation, it will become useless.”

In conclusion, Benifei outlined the direction he believes we should take. “There are new developments on our continent: the European Parliament is succeeding in putting in place frameworks to protect citizens from risks, but also to build trust.” The aim, he emphasised, is to make it clear that “digital technology and AI can be useful tools, with positive aspects and not just flaws.”