What role could AI play in future politics? From wars to economic uncertainties and climate change, it seems human politicians struggle to manage numerous crises. Could it be a better alternative to entrust these tasks to artificial intelligence?
While this idea may sound futuristic to many, surveys show a surprisingly high interest in AI-assisted politics. In a study by IE University conducted in 2021, 2,769 people from eleven countries were asked if they would support national parliamentary seats being replaced by AI. The result: In Europe, 51% supported it, in the USA 60%. The highest approval came from China, where 75% favored this option.
Philosopher Ted Lechterman from IE University outlined three possible scenarios in an article for the academic magazine The Conversation on how AI could be used in politics in the future.
Scenario 1: Chatbots as Politicians
Even before the introduction of ChatGPT, there were experiments with AI in political offices. In 2017, a chatbot named Alisa ran against Vladimir Putin in Russia, and in New Zealand, the chatbot Sam ran for parliament the same year. AI-based political initiatives were also tested in Denmark and Japan.
Chatbots could theoretically offer some advantages: They are not corrupt, require no rest, and can respond to citizen inquiries around the clock. They also have enormous computing power to analyze complex issues. However, today’s AI models have significant weaknesses: They are prone to hallucinations and vulnerable to cyberattacks. They also reflect the biases of their training data.
Another critical point: Political institutions rely on human traits like empathy and moral judgment—skills that chatbots currently lack. Without technological breakthroughs, the idea of AI politicians remains a utopia for now.
Scenario 2: AI-Supported Direct Democracy
A more radical approach would be the complete abolition of politicians in favor of an AI-supported direct democracy. Physicist César Hidalgo suggests that citizens could input their political preferences into personal AI agents, which would then negotiate and draft laws independently. This way, citizens could be more directly involved in political processes without investing time and expertise themselves.
This approach could theoretically strengthen trust in democracy and increase voter turnout. However, the responsibility would lie with the developers of the algorithms steering the political process. Moreover, it remains questionable whether citizens can sufficiently understand the complex systems to make well-informed decisions.
Scenario 3: Algocracy—Politics Without Humans
The most radical scenario is the complete automation of politics through algorithms. In a so-called Algocracy, AI systems would make political decisions without human intervention. The logic behind this is that if AI eventually makes better decisions than humans, human input would be unnecessary.
However, even if this technology becomes a reality, fundamental questions remain: What happens to citizen autonomy? What role do responsibility and transparency play when machines govern? While this may sound dystopian, according to Lechterman, the idea of an Algocracy forces us to reflect on the fundamental values of democracy.
AI could play a larger role in the future. Given the current technological limitations, it seems unwise to completely replace human politicians with AI. However, AI could support by making political processes more understandable and presenting complex information better. To ensure AI strengthens rather than endangers democracy, clear ethical guidelines and transparency are needed.