Commentary
India & the Olympics of AI
Allen Lab Fellow Jeremy McKey reflects on India’s AI Impact Summit, exploring the theme of diffusion and the implications for sovereignty and democracy.
Video
Making Democracy Interesting: Tips from TV, Podcasts, Science Fiction, and Online Creators
The Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation’s Making Democracy Interesting webinar brought together scholars, writers, and creators to explore how storytelling can make democratic life feel more accessible, human, and compelling.
Programs
Making Democracy Interesting brought together scholars, writers, and creators to explore how storytelling can make democratic life feel more accessible, human, and compelling. The panel was moderated by James Bryant Conant University Professor Danielle Allen and WIRED’s former editor-in-chief Gideon Lichfield, an Allen Lab Fellow, and featured:
- Kim Stanley Robinson, author of The Ministry for the Future and other science fiction novels
- Renee DiResta, associate research professor at Georgetown University and author of Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turns Lies Into Reality
- Matt Fitzgerald, founder of Fitz Partners and #TeamWater, the biggest creator-led philanthropy campaign of all time
- Baratunde Thurston is a multiplatform storyteller whose works include the book How To Be Black, the podcast How To Citizen, and the TV series America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston
Their discussion examined why traditional political language often fails to connect, especially with younger generations, and how parasocial relationships, narrative experimentation, and participatory media can enliven civic engagement. From real-world experiments in collective problem-solving to creator-led movements that mobilize millions, the discussion offered concrete examples of how democracy is lived and shared experiences and not just an abstract ideal. Watch the recording to hear how storytelling might help democracy find its audience again.
More from this Program
Commentary
Allen Lab Fellow Spotlight: Why a People-Centered Approach to American Democracy Matters Now
Allen Lab Policy Fellow Christine Slaughter makes the case that democracy must be understood through people’s lived experiences and agency, not just institutions.
Commentary
Transparency is Insufficient: Lessons From Civic Technology for Anticorruption
Allen Lab Researcher David Riveros Garcia draws on his experience building civic technology to fight corruption in Paraguay to make the case that effective civic technology must include power and collective action in its design.