Skip to content
How is AI shaping democracy? episode artwork

Jan 27, 2026 48 min

How is AI shaping democracy?

from Practical AI Hosted by Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson

As AI increasingly shapes geopolitics, elections, and civic life, its impact on democracy is becoming impossible to ignore. In this episode, Daniel and Chris are joined by security expert Bruce Schneier to explore how AI and technology are transforming democracy, governance, and citizenship. Drawing from his book Rewiring Democracy, they explore real examples of AI in elections, legislation, courts, and public AI models, the risks of concentrated power, and how these tools can both strengthen and strain democratic systems worldwide. Featuring: Bruce Schneier – X Chris Benson – Website, LinkedIn, Bluesky, GitHub, X Daniel Whitenack – Website, GitHub, X Links: Schneier on Security Sponsors: Framer - The website builder that turns your dot com from a formality into a tool for growth. Check it out at framer.com/PRACTICALAI Zapier - The AI orchestration platform that puts AI to work across your company. Check it out at zapier.com/practical Upcoming Events: Register for upcoming webinars here!

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Ready to play

How is AI shaping democracy?

0:00 48:23

Chapters

  1. 0:00 Welcome to Practical AI
  2. 0:48 Meet Bruce
  3. 3:53 The book and the big picture
  4. 12:54 Monitoring with free speech
  5. 16:18 Sponsor: Framer
  6. 17:41 Centralized power
  7. 22:07 Dodging the fingers of power
  8. 31:48 Sponsor: Zapier
  9. 33:17 Positives of the change
  10. 43:57 The future question
  11. 47:03 Outro

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Share this episode

Similar podcasts

CISO Perspectives (public) N2K Networks This season on CISO Perspectives, host Kim Jones explores some of the challenges of leading through uncertainty. We explore the complexity of the changing nature of regulation and working with the federal government, the evolution of privacy and fraud, and how emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing are changing cyber. When you don’t know what questions to ask, you’re afraid to ask, or don’t know who to ask, CISO Perspectives provides the foundation for learning in this brave new world.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of Practical AI?

This episode is 48 minutes long.

When was this Practical AI episode published?

This episode was published on January 27, 2026.

Is there a transcript available for this episode?

Yes, a full transcript is available for this episode. You can read the complete transcript on the episode page.

Can I download this Practical AI episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.