Enabling Secure Democratic Ecosystems through AI

Andrew Dwyer, Roxana Radu

Research output: Book/ReportCommissioned report

Abstract

This report explores how AI systems can enable more secure, resilient and trusted democratic ecosystems. There have been numerous reported incidents of attempts to disrupt the security and resilience of digital technologies used in, and by, democratic ecosystems to reduce trust, most infamously in the US 2016 Presidential election. Recent attention has focused on how advancements in AI systems, particularly generative AI, undermine democracies through mis and disinformation. However, AI can also enable democracies to secure their ecosystems as well as provide opportunities. This paper examines two aspects of a democracy ecosystem: electoral and representative systems. For each, this report explores how an attention of AI’s capacity to improve cybersecurity offers opportunities for democratic societies. It: 1. assesses the current state; 2. maps two key systems of the democratic ecosystem using India and the United States as cases; 3. examines opportunities AI offers to protect and enable democratic infrastructures across elections and representation; 4. analyses implementation; and 5. provides a series of recommendations for states to integrateAI to improve the cybersecurity of democratic ecosystems.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherIE Center for the Governance of Change
Publication statusPublished - 22 Oct 2024

Publication series

NameAI4Democracy

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