The challenges to democratic societies of mis- and dis-information—always present—appear greater in the Information Age. With artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities advancing quickly, some commentators have warned of an acute, existential threat. Others, however, are more sanguine about the danger AI presents. In this panel discussion, leading academic experts and senior professionals discussed the level of peril, highlighted the role of AI, and considered how it may affect the upcoming U.S. presidential election, as well as other events key to the future of democracy.
This event was co-sponsored by the Georgetown University Global Economic Challenges Network, the Knight-Georgetown Institute, the Communication, Culture, and Technology Program, the Center for Digital Ethics, and the Tech and Public Policy Program.
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Leticia Bode (moderator) is a professor in the Communication, Culture, and Technology Program at Georgetown University and the inaugural research director for the Knight-Georgetown Institute. She researches the intersection of communication, technology, attitudes, and behavior, emphasizing the role communication and information technologies may play in the acquisition, use, effects, and implications of both information and misinformation.
Laura DeNardis is the inaugural endowed chair in technology, ethics, and society at Georgetown University, where she serves as the director of the Center for Digital Ethics and professor in the Communication, Culture, and Technology Master’s Program. A leading scholar of technology and society in both the United States and the world, her book The Internet in Everything: Freedom and Security in a World with No Off Switch (2020) was recognized as a Financial Times Top Technology Book of 2020.
Tim Harper serves as senior policy analyst of democracy and elections at the Center of Democracy and Technology, where he leads the organization’s efforts to fight election disinformation, support technology that bolsters a fair and secure vote, and build trust in elections. As an expert in elections policy, Harper has driven policy and advocacy efforts across industry and civil society.
Janet Haven is the executive director of Data and Society. She has worked at the intersection of technology policy, governance, and accountability for more than 20 years, both domestically and internationally. As a member of the National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee, she advises U.S. President Joe Biden and the National AI Initiative Office on a range of issues related to artificial intelligence.
Nate Persily is the James B. McClatchy Professor of Law at Stanford Law School. He is the founding co-director of the Stanford Cyber Policy Center and its Program on Democracy and the Internet, as well as the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project. His current work examines the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on political communication, campaigns, and elections.
