The ‘public’, disrupted: the transformative effects of technology on democracy
Digital and artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly mediating political and legal interactions.
This is evident not only in the growing reliance of judges and civil servants on algorithmic tools in their decision-making, but also in the ways political communication now takes place on, and is shaped by, digital platforms. These technological developments have become a focal point for legal scholarship, raising fundamental questions about what is gained and what is lost as digital technologies permeate political and legal spheres.
In this discussion, Dr Neli Frost will draw on her research to examine the implications of these transformations for the notion of the ‘public’ as a fundamental category and unit of analysis. Her research examines the role the ‘public’ plays in democratic politics and jurisprudence, and how this role is disrupted when humans and human functions are replaced by machines. It illuminates the evolving triadic interplay between the ‘public’, democracy, and technology, and considers how these shifting dynamics generate new priorities for law in the governance of digital and AI systems.
About the speaker
Dr Neli Frost is an Assistant Professor at the LSE Law School and DSI Faculty Affiliate. She researches and teaches at the intersection of law, technology, and political theory, examining the implications of technological development and deployment for democratic principles, structures, and institutions. She received her PhD from the University of Cambridge and was previously a postdoctoral fellow at New York University and the University of Oxford.
About this event
This seminar is part of the DSI Faculty Affiliate Research Showcase series that highlights research from across LSE in the field of Data Science and AI. The DSI supports and promotes research by Institute staff, visiting scholars and DSI Faculty and PhD Affiliates that examines the societal impacts of data and AI, leverages emerging technologies to enhance research methodologies, and contributes to the development and refinement of AI capabilities.
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