11.1 - Democracy & Authoritarianism

Artificial Intelligence Policy

🧠 Think:

• Is AI compatible with democratic governance?
• What aspects of democratic systems are most under threat in the age of AI?
• How does the use of AI support or undermine authoritarian control?

📖 Read:

• Beraja et al, 2024. “AI-tocracy” Quarterly Journal of Economics
• Make sure to scan and pay attention both articles under “browse” today

🌐 Browse:

• Himmelriech, 2022. “Against Democratizing AI” AI & Society.
• Xu, 2020. “To Repress or to Co-opt? Authoritarian Control in the Age of Digital Surveillance” American Journal of Political Science
• Yang, 2026. “The Limits of AI for Authoritarian Control” American Journal of Political Science

📝 Submit:

• Discussion question to course chat

TipTip

• “📖 Read”, “🎧 Listen”, and/or “📺 Watch” items are required content for the day, and should be read/heard/watched before class on that day.
• “🌐 Browse” items should be briefly looked at but do not need to be read deeply unless you want to
• “📚 Additional Resources” do not need to be looked at; they are there to serve, if useful, as further references for your debates, final projects, and general edification later. :::