AI x Democracy

A Symposium to Discuss Opportunities and Challenges

One of the most debated topics surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) is whether AI technologies help or hinder the enactment and practice of important democratic processes. Technologists, policymakers, activists, and researchers are exploring how creative AI-enabled tools might address long-standing challenges to full public participation, information dissemination, fair and equitable resource distribution, and ideation when generating solutions to public problems. At the same time, those working at this intersection of AI and democracy are also raising critical questions about the potential that AI technologies introduce for harm and further deepening of inequities across society.

In order to confront the questions surrounding the the use of AI in democratic systems, the Responsible Technology Coalition (RTC) invites you to attend the AI x Democracy Symposium on April 23, 2025, in the LGRC-lowrise room A112 at UMass Amherst or online.

This symposium brings together experts who will share insights from their work exploring the intersection of AI and democracy. Through the careful facilitation of this important discussion about AI and democracy, this symposium highlights an area of research and development that is working tirelessly to develop technological tools and approaches that truly advance democracy and democratic processes at local, national, and international levels, and also provides a case study to the UMass Amherst community for how to think creatively but also critically about technology-enabled solutions to entrenched social problems.

Funding provided by the Chancellor’s Community, Democracy, and Dialogue (CDD) working group. The CDD has been created to promote dialogue, academic inquiry, and respect for difference in addressing challenging topics. These are forms of engagement central to higher education and a thriving democracy. Additional funding and support provided by the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences and the Public Interest Technology Initiative at UMass (PIT@UMass).

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Meet your speakers

Chrissy Lynch

President of Massachusetts AFL-CIO

Eric Gordon

Director, Center on Media Innovation for Social Impact, Affiliated Faculty, Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS); Professor of the Practice, Journalism, College of Communication, Boston University

Carolina Rossini

Director of Public Interest Technology (PIT) Programs and Professor of Practice, School of Public Policy, UMass Amherst

Jane Fountain

Director, School of Public Policy, UMass Amherst

Rodica Neamtu

Professor of Teaching, Computer Science Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

Yuriy Brun

Co-Director, Laboratory for Advanced Software Engineering Research (LASER), Co-Director, Programming Languages and Systems at Massachusetts Group (PLASMA), Professor, Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences, UMass Amherst

RSVP Here!