Citizenship norms transforming in the age of artificial intelligence

Abstract

The multiplying rate of developments in technology, reflected in capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI), has presented us with the most amazing tools that enable access to knowledge, implement know how, and create new knowledge. Artificial intelligence has become a valuable component of social and political life that cannot be disregarded. Yet, while the immense benefits of artificial intelligence are well known, its risks to liberal democratic governance are also increasingly becoming evident (Duberry 2021; Boyte 2017; Nemitz 2018).

Scholars and sector experts fear that long-term, unregulated usage of social media and artificial intelligence may gradually change human behaviour and societal level cultures. This study is a conceptual exploration of the potential changes to citizenship norms in liberal democracies in this context. Political cultures and political ideologies reflect divergent citizenship norms, i.e., what is considered to be good citizenship. Citizenship norms establish what is expected of the citizen, and the values and norms that prevail in relations between citizens and between citizens and the state.

Diverse citizenship norms are rooted in divergent theories of citizenship. Citizenship is, on the one hand, the relationship between the state and the citizen, establishing their rights and responsibilities. Citizenship is also agency, i.e. the right to make claims, demands and pursue rights. Citizenship is belonging in a delineated community, establishing who is in and who is out. Citizenship is participation, contributing to the democratic process and the well-being of one’s community.

The debates on the impact of artificial intelligence on individuals lead us to expect that continued interaction of the citizen and artificial intelligence may transform each of these conceptualizations of citizenship. As new technologies intermediate the relationship between the state and citizens, citizens may be expected to take on new roles, while rights and obligations may transform. The increasing agency of AI itself carries the potential to pacify citizen agency and make participation less relevant. Narrowing spaces for the citizen voice and the "public sphere", along with misinformation, may devolve citizenship away from its liberal, democratic nature. And while republican conceptualizations of citizenship entail a sense of belonging and a sense of community AI has the potential to degenerate these norms by fragmenting and polarizing communities.

This is an initial theoretical exploration of the implications of changing social and political dynamics as a result of the increased presence of artificial intelligence in our lives. It explores the changed and changing spaces, agents, and norms of citizenship in liberal democracies in this era of technology. And while it acknowledges the opportunities that the transformation may present it cautions against the risks it poses to securing and enhancing democratic citizenship norms and practices.