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Chatbot Democracy

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Chatbot Democracy
Authors: Nicholas Croce
Source: Perspectives on Public Management and Governance. 8:53-60
Publisher Information: Oxford University Press (OUP), 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Subject Terms: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Communication Technology and New Media, Artificial Intelligence (AI), public administration, natural language processing, Other Political Science, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication, Science and Technology Studies, deliberative democracy, generative chatbots in government
Description: What will be the role of chatbots in 21st century democratic processes? Considering the potential implementations of artificial intelligence (AI) “chatbots” or large language models (LLMs) with a natural language processing (NLP) interface for use in public administration, policy-making, and deliberative democratic processes, this essay explores representative and access-boosting roles for such chatbots: how they could supplement constituent services, increase access to government programs, facilitate deliberation, and perhaps even act as posthuman representatives within a deliberative democratic process. The essay reviews the burgeoning, multi-disciplinary academic literature dealing with the use of chatbots in both government and deliberative contexts—literature that probes questions of utility, representational ethics, equity and access. The essay concludes with an itinerary for further thinking and research, emphasizing the importance of both impact and formative evaluation.
Document Type: Article
File Description: application/pdf
Language: English
ISSN: 2398-4929
2398-4910
DOI: 10.1093/ppmgov/gvaf005
Rights: OUP Standard Publication Reuse
CC BY NC
Accession Number: edsair.doi.dedup.....4da194f22fc26a5a50ac23d26e8c5524
Database: OpenAIRE
Description
Abstract:What will be the role of chatbots in 21st century democratic processes? Considering the potential implementations of artificial intelligence (AI) “chatbots” or large language models (LLMs) with a natural language processing (NLP) interface for use in public administration, policy-making, and deliberative democratic processes, this essay explores representative and access-boosting roles for such chatbots: how they could supplement constituent services, increase access to government programs, facilitate deliberation, and perhaps even act as posthuman representatives within a deliberative democratic process. The essay reviews the burgeoning, multi-disciplinary academic literature dealing with the use of chatbots in both government and deliberative contexts—literature that probes questions of utility, representational ethics, equity and access. The essay concludes with an itinerary for further thinking and research, emphasizing the importance of both impact and formative evaluation.
ISSN:23984929
23984910
DOI:10.1093/ppmgov/gvaf005