Open Access Resource
Open Book: Open-Source Budget Transparency for Municipalities
With a majority of municipalities publishing their budgets as PDFs, Open Book offers a free alternative that towns own and run themselves.
Policy Brief
AGI and Democracy
We face a fundamental question: is the very pursuit of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) the kind of aim democracies should allow?
By:
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![Seth Lazar]()
Seth Lazar
Issues
If we are a long way short of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), why worry about it now?
Seth Lazar and Alex Pascal argue that the people building the most advanced AI systems are explicitly and aggressively working to bring AGI about, and they think they’ll get there in two to five years. Even some of the most publicly skeptical AI researchers don’t rule out AGI within this decade. If we, the affected public, do not actively shape this agenda now, we may miss the chance to do so at all. We face a fundamental question: is the very pursuit of AGI the kind of aim democracies should allow?
Related Resources
Open Access Resource
Open Course: Designing Democratic Engagement with AI
This free, self-paced course equips public officials with the skills to design, run and learn from meaningful engagement with communities.
Commentary
The Hidden Cost of Cord Cutting: Losing Access to Civic Life
As cord-cutting erodes the funding that sustains local cable access channels, this piece from the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation offers recommendations for preserving vital sources of community information, government transparency, and civic participation.
Additional Resource
Massachusetts Municipal Leader Guide: Open Meeting Law in the Digital Age
As public officials increasingly turn to digital tools, this guide helps Massachusetts municipal leaders navigate Open Meeting Law and their everyday digital practice while safeguarding transparency.
Policy Brief
Update Massachusetts Open Meeting Law for the Digital Age
As technology reshapes how public officials communicate with their communities, this policy brief offers recommendations for modernizing Massachusetts Open Meeting Law to protect transparency and accountability while enabling the tools that expand access to government.
Paper
The Landscape of Digital Civic Infrastructure in Massachusetts
Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation authors offer the first comprehensive analysis of how Massachusetts municipalities are using technology to support civic engagement, government decision-making, and public service delivery.