A Webinar to Explore the Future of Participatory Governance

📅 When: March 21, 2025, 16:00-18:00 CET

📍 Where: Online (registration via Zoom)

🎙 Who: OIDP, SALAR, UCLG-CSIPDHR, IAI, PHOENIX Project (University of Coimbra), IAF

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we govern, communicate, and make decisions. But how can we ensure this transformation strengthens participatory democracy instead of undermining it? On March 21, 2025, experts, local authorities, and international organizations will come together for an online event to discuss the relationship between AI and democratic governance.

AI & Democracy: Striking the Right Balance

AI offers tremendous opportunities to improve accessibility, transparency, and efficiency in decision-making. However, it also presents significant risks: lack of transparency in algorithms, environmental impact, data biases, and the potential for technology to reinforce top-down decision-making, limiting citizen power.

During the webinar, we will explore key questions:

•How can AI be used to support democracy without sacrificing freedoms and rights?

•What are the risks of technological influence on local policies?

•Can we shape AI to respect human and environmental rights?

•What successful local practices exist today?

An Engaging Agenda with Expert Voices

The event will feature keynotes from experts such as Michelangelo Secchi (Eudema.net) and Flavia Marzano (Task Force for Open Government, Italy), providing insights into the challenges and opportunities of AI in democratic governance.

Attendees will also hear case studies, including the experience of Sundsvall (Sweden), and explore proposals for collaboration between democratic institutions, social organizations, and academia to tackle AI challenges through participatory tools.

A Call to Action

The adoption of AI should not come at the expense of democracy. On the contrary, if guided by principles of equity, inclusivity, and transparency, AI can become a tool for empowerment. This webinar will conclude with a call to build a global alliance among governments, experts, and civil society to ensure technology serves the people—not the other way around.

🔗 Join the discussion! Register now to be part of the conversation on the future of democracy in the digital age.

👉 Sign up here