Sciences Po Held a 2-Day Event to Explore the Impact of AI on Democracy and the Public Sphere

As a world-class university at the forefront of research and sustained engagement with both public and private actors, Sciences Po has uniquely positioned itself to analyse and challenge the forces shaping our contemporary world. Its international research network, stretching from academics to practitioners, has recently unsurprisingly turned to the field that is increasingly touching most disciplines: AI.

In this vein, the Open Institute for Digital Transformations, created as part of the TIERED (Transforming Interdisciplinary Education and Research for Evolving Democracies) initiative, and the European Polarisation Observatory, a research hub supported by our European alliance CIVICA, co-hosted the first edition of a two-day conference exploring the implications of artificial intelligence for democracy and the public sphere (18-19 May 2026).

Ranging from the effects of social media platforms on polarisation and misinformation to the implicit biases and power imbalances associated with AI, the research presented ultimately raised the question of what methods can be used to accurately measure and evaluate the repercussions of new technologies, and how they may consequently be effectively regulated.

Video focus on keynote speaker Ethan Zuckerman

Ethan Zuckerman, Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Chair of the External Advisory Board of the Open Institute for Digital Transformations, examines for Sciences Po's Conférence website how AI systems and digital platforms shape the production and circulation of knowledge.

What is the European Polarisation Observatory? with Pedro Ramaciotti

What happens when algorithms influence what we see, how we think, and how we engage in political debates? How do digital platforms shape polarisation, public opinion, and civic participation across Europe? Pedro Ramaciotti Morales, Associate Member of Sciences Po médialab, introduces SEPO (Scaling the European Polarisation Observatory), a new CIVICA research hub and flagship project of the European Polarisation Observatory exploring the intersection of AI, social media, and democracy.