Occasional Paper
AI and Democracy Movements Project
The AI and Democracy Movements Project explores the impacts of AI on the strategy, operations, and outcomes of pro-democratic social movements.
Program Links
Related Issues
The AI and Democracy Movements Project at the Nonviolent Action Lab explores promising developments in AI that could support pro-democratic social movements. The project aims – through research and practice – to address gaps in social movements’ ability to use AI tools for their own tactical, strategic, and organizational needs, particularly for difficult or costly tasks, such as background research, systematic power mapping, intelligence gathering, sentiment analysis, predictive modeling, and strategic coaching. The project also involves efforts to evaluate the impacts of AI use on movement outcomes, to explore the ethical trade-offs involved in embracing these technologies, and to build sustained collaborations around the integration of AI into democracy movements’ operations.
Research
Commentary
Feature
The AI and Democracy Movements Workshop: A Postscript
Commentary
Using AI Now to Improve Movements’ Effectiveness: A Basic Introduction Guide for Social Activists
Feature
Unlocking AI’s potential for social movements
Commentary
AI-powered bots and electoral participation: a view from the Venezuelan experience
Associated staff
Erica Chenoweth
Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment
Freddy Guevara
Democracy Visiting Fellow, AY2024-2025
Soha Hammam
Nonviolent Action Lab Research Associate
Jie (Jason) Lian
Democracy Visiting Fellow, AY2024-2025
Isabella Picón
Research Fellow, Spring 2025