There has never been more rapid innovation in human history than now. From automation revolutionizing the manufacturing industry to programs that can write essays for you, every sector of human life is being affected through developments in technology. Politics is no exception, and A.I. is looking to completely change the way our political system is run.
The main subset of A.I. looking to affect politics is machine learning. Machine learning is the use of computer algorithms to find patterns in large pools of data. There are many uses of this, including your social media feed, which is specially curated for you based on the data of your past behaviour on the platform.
One benefit of machine learning in politics is that there will be larger amounts of data available to politicians to determine policies. This means that rather than using normative statements to drive policy decisions, policies will be more based on evidence and achieving desired outcomes. The use of machine learning will assist in creating the best outcome-based policies.
Another benefit of machine learning in politics is that it can help connect politicians and citizens, enabling a more democratic democracy. Many current systems are based on a republic, where citizens elect politicians to create desired policies. However, there is often some disconnect between the changes politicians propose to make and changes the citizens’ desire. A.I. can be used to help politicians study their citizens' views and make appropriate changes, increasing the strength of the democratic process in the country.
Machine learning can also be used to educate citizens about their own political standings and those of their politicians, enabling them to cast votes accurate to their views. An example of a tool that achieves this is ISideWith, which uses A.I. to help citizens determine their political standings and connects them with politicians that match their views.
This can be taken to another step with businesses. FiscalNote is a company that uses A.I. driven insights to give organizations information on policies that could particularly affect them. This helps keep these businesses and organizations educated on political changes and helps them cast their votes accordingly.
A.I. can not only provide information but stop the spread of misinformation. There is currently an A.I. being developed at universities that can be used to predict whether content spreading misinformation coming from foreign trolls. The implementation of this A.I. in our modern social media could mean a more educated population and decrease the level of polarization in politics.
Lastly, A.I. could act as a politician itself. Sam is recognized as the world’s first virtual politician and uses A.I. to communicate with its citizens and come up with the best solutions and policies for New Zealand. While this is just the first, virtual politicians could become the norm, forever changing our political landscape.
Technology is changing at an exponential pace, and the future of our society remains a mystery as much as ever. All we do know is that change is coming, and Artificial Intelligence looks to improve our society in ways we could have never foretold.
Sources:
- https://towardsdatascience.com/a-i-will-mark-a-turning-point-in-the-history-of-politics-e78e4a961e69
- https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/can-artificial-intelligence-change-the-future-of-politics-28156
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/markminevich/2020/11/02/7-ways-ai-could-solve-all-of-our-election-woes-out-with-the-polls-in-with-the-ai-models/?sh=2e29282622c9
- https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/11/17/103781/what-is-machine-learning-we-drew-you-another-flowchart/
- http://www.politiciansam.nz/
- https://ecmapping.com/2020/04/08/how-artificial-intelligence-will-change-business-forever/ (Picture)
*All arguments made and viewpoints expressed within Youth In Politics and its nominal entities do not necessarily reflect the views of the writers or the organization as a whole.
