NORFACE GOVERNANCE -

We are happy to announce the fourth NORFACE GOVERNANCE Online Lecture Series!

In this series, academic and professional experts will present their findings or views on topics related to "Democratic Governance in a Turbulent Age." Professional experts include policymakers, democratic representatives, communication professionals, law professionals, and journalists.

The fourth session is organized by TECHNO and will be held by  Prof. Dr. Andreas Jungherr from the University of Bamberg with the topic:

"The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy."

ABSTRACT

The success and widespread deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) have raised awareness of the technology’s economic, social, and political consequences. Each new step in the development and application of AI is accompanied by speculations about a supposedly imminent but largely fictional artificial general intelligence (AGI) with (super-)human capacities, as seen in the unfolding discourse about capabilities and impact of large language models (LLMs) in the wake of ChatGPT. These far-reaching expectations lead to a discussion on the societal and political impact of AI that is largely dominated by unfocused fears and enthusiasms. In contrast, this talk provides a framework for a more focused and productive analysis and discussion of AI’s likely impact on one specific social field: democracy.

First, it is necessary to be clear about the workings of AI. This means differentiating between what is at present a largely imaginary AGI and narrow artificial intelligence focused on solving specific tasks. This distinction allows for a critical discussion of how AI affects different aspects of democracy, including its effects on the conditions of self-rule and people’s opportunities to exercise it, equality, the institution of elections, and competition between democratic and autocratic systems of government.

The talk will show that the consequences of today’s AI are more specific for democracy than broad speculation about AGI capabilities implies. Focusing on these specific aspects will account for actual threats and opportunities and thus allow for better monitoring of AI’s impact on democracy in an interdisciplinary effort by computer and social scientists.

Speaker:

Andreas Jungherr is a Professor of Political Science, esp. Digital Transformation at the Institute for Political Science at the University of Bamberg. He studies the impact of digital media and artificial intelligence on politics and society. He is the author of the books „Digital Transformations of the Public Arena" (with Ralph Schroeder, Cambridge University Press, 2022) and „Retooling Politics: How Digital Media are Shaping Democracy" (with Gonzalo Rivero and Daniel Gayo-Avello, Cambridge University Press, 2020).

The event will be held online via ZOOM.

Please register for the lecture here.