DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: CHALLENGES FOR POLITICAL SCIENCE, LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN LATIN AMERICA
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the forms of production, distribution and exercise of power, establishing itself as one of the main challenges for contemporary democracies. The growing incorporation of algorithmic systems in public administration, justice, electoral processes, security, political communication and public policy formulation is modifying the relationships between the State, citizens and private actors, generating new opportunities for institutional innovation but also significant risks for democracy, the rule of law and the guarantee of human rights. In this scenario, AI must be understood not only as a technological innovation but as a political, legal and social phenomenon that redefines forms of governance and demands new analytical approaches from Political Science, Law and Human Rights Studies.
The use of artificial intelligence systems promises to strengthen state capacity through the automation of processes, predictive analysis and data-driven decision-making. However, the use of algorithms in public functions also raises questions about transparency, accountability, the explainability of automated decisions and the democratic control of technologies whose operating logic is often opaque. Likewise, the proliferation of generative models, political microtargeting tools, synthetic content (deepfakes) and recommendation systems has heightened challenges related to electoral integrity, the quality of public debate, disinformation, the manipulation of public opinion and the concentration of technological power.
From a legal perspective, these transformations pose significant challenges for the protection of fundamental rights such as privacy, equality, freedom of expression, due process, non-discrimination and access to justice. Building regulatory frameworks capable of guaranteeing trustworthy, transparent and human-centered artificial intelligence is today one of the main challenges facing democratic states and international bodies. In Latin America, where digital transformation processes converge with persistent institutional weaknesses, inequality, political polarization and limited regulatory capacities, these challenges take on particular relevance and demand interdisciplinary responses integrating perspectives from Political Science, Law and Public Policy.
This symposium proposes to open a space for academic dialogue to analyze the impacts of artificial intelligence on democratic institutions, political processes and legal systems, promoting theoretical, empirical and comparative research on algorithmic governance, AI regulation, digital constitutionalism, human rights in digital environments, electoral integrity, digital citizenship, technological sovereignty, public innovation and artificial intelligence policies. It seeks to bring together researchers from various disciplines to debate the challenges AI poses to contemporary democracy and to contribute to the construction of conceptual and normative frameworks capable of strengthening the democratic governance of these technologies.
From a Latin American perspective, the symposium aims to consolidate an interdisciplinary research agenda that provides evidence for the design of public policies and regulatory frameworks aimed at ensuring an ethical, transparent and responsible development of artificial intelligence, while simultaneously strengthening the quality of democracy,
