Last week, the Stanford Cyber Policy Center and the Paris Bar Association hosted a thought-provoking round table discussion on AI and the Future of Democracy: Challenges and Opportunities at the Maison du Barreau in Paris. Held in conjunction with the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, the event brought together leading experts from Stanford University, legal practitioners, and policymakers to explore the evolving role of artificial intelligence in shaping democratic governance.

The round table was moderated by Florence G’sell, Director of the Program on Governance of Emerging Technologies (GET) at the Stanford Cyber Policy Center, and author of the recent book Regulating Under Uncertainty: Governance Options for Generative AI, which examines policy strategies for managing AI’s risks and opportunities. The panel featured Stanford University's Nathaniel Persily, Rob Reich and Emmanuel Candès, along with Divya Siddarth, founder of the Collective Intelligence Project. Panelists provided unique insights into the opportunities and threats posed by AI in democratic societies. Vanessa Bousardo, Vice President of the Paris Bar, gave opening remarks.

A key theme of the discussion was the dual nature of AI—its potential to enhance legal and governmental processes, along with the substantial risks, particularly concerning transparency, bias and misinformation. Panelists also explored possible strategies and legal frameworks to ensure AI serves democratic values and protects fundamental rights.

The recording of this event is available on YouTube. Note for English speakers: the introductory remarks are in French, though the majority of the discussion following is in English