“The proliferation of artificial intelligence is poised to usher in profound changes by 2040. AI has already reshaped our daily lives. While the promise of AI is still unfolding, the direction we’re headed hinges crucially on the choices we make today. My greatest concern – and what stands out as most significant to me – is that if we do not prioritize policies and research that harness AI for social good, we may not witness the positive transformation we hope for.
“Our failure to proactively address AI’s potential to deepen democracy could leave us without the necessary mental models to envision and realize an inclusive future. A vital distinction to understand as we navigate this AI-driven future is that actively promoting the use of AI to address our hardest challenges is not synonymous with risk mitigation. While the latter is about preventing harm and ensuring that AI systems don’t inadvertently exacerbate issues, the former is a proactive pursuit of positive outcomes. It’s the difference between using AI to ensure elections aren’t tampered with (risk mitigation) and leveraging AI to increase voter participation or improve policy responsiveness (actively addressing challenges). Both are essential, but they serve different purposes.
If our focus is solely on preventing the pitfalls of AI, we might miss out on harnessing its full potential to drive societal progress. AI has the potential to revolutionize democracy. It can make our institutions more responsive, our electoral processes more transparent and our public discourse more informed. However, realizing this potential requires a balance of both risk mitigation and the proactive use of AI for democratic enhancement. ... If we invest in AI for democracy, we could make it easier for governments to listen to their citizens.
“Consider the realm of information dissemination. AI algorithms, particularly those behind social media platforms, play a decisive role in shaping public opinion. Left unchecked, these algorithms can create echo chambers, polarizing society. But if we move beyond just mitigating this risk and actively design algorithms to foster diverse and informed discourse, we can transform public debates and democratic participation.
“Similarly, while AI’s role in electoral processes can be used to combat election fraud, its proactive potential lies in streamlining electoral logistics, making voter registration more accessible, and even facilitating participatory budgeting.
“If we invest in AI for democracy, we could make it easier for governments to listen to their citizens. Instead of voluminous comments that no one has time to read, generative AI can make it easier to categorize and summarize citizen input. At MIT, Professor Deb Roy uses AI to create a ‘digital hearth’ that analyzes and extracts learning from resident conversations.
- “In 2022, the City of Cambridge, MA, used Roy’s Cortico technology to run a series of issue-based community conversations designed to get resident feedback on the choice of the next city manager.
- “Our students in the AI4Impact class at Northeastern are working with Citizens Foundation in Iceland and the Museum of Science in Boston to launch a larger conversation on literacy and equity that will begin next month. AI is making it possible to run that dialogue efficiently and effectively.
- “UrbanistAI, a Finnish-Italian initiative, is using AI to turn the public’s ideas for how their city should be designed into hyper-realistic photographs that communities can discuss. In Helsinki, the technology is helping residents and city officials to design car-free streets together. Using AI prompts, participants visualize changes like adding planters or converting roads into pedestrian zones. The technology even incorporates a voting feature, allowing community members to weigh in on each other’s designs. Now you don’t need a degree in urban planning or artistic skills to see how your ideas could transform your community.
The next 15 years are pivotal. What’s most likely to be gained is a more efficient society – one in which services are personalized, predictions are accurate and mundane tasks are automated. But if we neglect the broader vision of AI’s role in society, focusing only on risk avoidance, we risk sidelining its transformative potential.
“However, the most poignant concern is not just about the challenges AI might exacerbate but about the opportunities we might miss. By 2040, without a vision that balances risk mitigation with proactive societal enhancement, we might never tap into AI’s potential to revolutionize democratic processes, from public consultations to policy interventions.
“The next 15 years are pivotal. What’s most likely to be gained is a more efficient society – one in which services are personalized, predictions are accurate and mundane tasks are automated. But if we neglect the broader vision of AI’s role in society, focusing only on risk avoidance, we risk sidelining its transformative potential. My hope is that we approach AI with a balanced perspective, recognizing that while risk mitigation is crucial, it is equally important to actively harness AI for the betterment of society and the improvement of democracy.”
This essay was written in November 2023 in reply to the question: Considering likely changes due to the proliferation of AI in individuals’ lives and in social, economic and political systems, how will life have changed by 2040? This and more than 150 additional essay responses are included in the report “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence by 2040.”