This story was written by Benjamin Daniel for MIT News and is available online. Below is an excerpt.

At the recent AI and Society Forum at MIT, experts from across the Institute discussed the potential benefits and dangers of technological innovation on labor, the nature of work, civil discourse, election administration, and other topics.

The event featured individual research presentations and panel discussions, as well as a musical performance exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence in the arts.

The forum was co-organized by the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) and the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC). It was presented in collaboration with two of MIT’s strategic initiatives: the MIT Generative AI Impact Consortium (MGAIC) and the MIT Human Insight Collaborative (MITHIC).

[…]

Lily Tsai, the Ford Professor of Political Science and director and founder of the MIT Governance Lab (MIT GOV/LAB), said in many ways, AI runs against the democratic norms and commitments necessary for a healthy democracy.

“It is really important not just in terms of design principles, but the commitments of designers to be familiar with the values and principles that characterize what democracy is based on: agency, political equality, mutual respect, inclusion, and autonomy,” Tsai said.

Tsai also noted her research has shown some people are more comfortable interacting with machines. She described a “Socratic dialogue chatbot” her team designed that asks people to articulate the thinking behind their beliefs and positions.

“And that actually, interestingly, seems to moderate their policy position in the process,” Tsai said. “So there are absolutely examples of ways in which AI can have positive impacts on democracy. But it really is about designing with the right principles and evaluating them rigorously.”