11.1 - Democracy & Authoritarianism
 Prof. Jack Reilly
 S2026

🧠 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
Tip
•	“📖 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. :::