Artificial Intelligence (AI) could play a significant role in politics in the future. With challenges like wars, economic uncertainties, and climate change, human politicians struggle to manage crises effectively. Could AI be a better alternative?
Surveys indicate a surprising interest in AI-assisted politics. A 2021 study by IE University surveyed 2,769 people from eleven countries about replacing national parliament seats with AI. In Europe, 51% supported this idea, while in the USA, it was 60%. The highest approval came from China, with 75% in favor.
Philosopher Ted Lechterman from IE University proposed three scenarios for AI in politics in an academic article.
Scenario 1: Chatbots as Politicians
Before the launch of ChatGPT, there were experiments with AI in political roles. In 2017, a chatbot named Alisa ran against Vladimir Putin in Russia, and in New Zealand, a chatbot named Sam ran for parliament. Similar initiatives were tested in Denmark and Japan.
Chatbots could have advantages: they are not corrupt, do not need rest, and can respond to citizens’ inquiries 24/7. They have vast computational power to analyze complex issues. However, current AI models have weaknesses: they can hallucinate, are vulnerable to cyberattacks, and reflect the biases of their training data.
Moreover, political institutions rely on human traits like empathy and moral judgment, which chatbots lack. Without technological breakthroughs, AI politicians remain a utopia.
Scenario 2: AI-Supported Direct Democracy
A more radical approach would be replacing politicians with AI-supported direct democracy. Physicist César Hidalgo suggests that citizens input their political preferences into personal AI agents, which then negotiate and draft laws independently. This could involve citizens more directly in political processes without requiring their time and expertise.
This approach could theoretically strengthen trust in democracy and increase voter participation. However, responsibility would lie with the developers of the algorithms controlling the political process. It remains uncertain if citizens can understand complex systems well enough to make informed decisions.
Scenario 3: Algocracy – Politics Without Humans
The most radical scenario is the complete automation of politics through algorithms. In an “Algocracy,” AI systems would make political decisions without human input. The idea is that if AI makes better decisions than humans, human input becomes unnecessary.
Even if this technology becomes a reality, fundamental questions remain: What happens to citizens’ autonomy? What role do responsibility and transparency play when machines govern? While this may sound dystopian, it forces us to reconsider the fundamental values of democracy.
AI could play a greater role in the future. Given current technological limits, replacing human politicians entirely with AI seems unwise. However, AI could support by making political processes more transparent and presenting complex information more clearly. To ensure AI strengthens democracy without endangering it, clear ethical guidelines and transparency are essential.