As democratic systems navigate an era of rapid technological transformation, public deliberation stands as a critical field of innovation. New deliberative formats — from citizens’ assemblies and minipublics to participatory budgeting — are increasingly supported by digital infrastructures and artificial intelligence. This evolving intersection between technology and democratic participation lies at the core of the Research Topic “AI in Public Deliberation: Technological Frontiers for Democracy Transition,” currently open for submissions.
Public deliberation fosters mutual understanding, informed decision-making, and collective action. Yet, as governments and institutions experiment with AI-enabled platforms, fundamental questions arise: How does AI shape the quality of democratic dialogue? What risks and opportunities emerge when machine systems moderate, structure, or analyze human argumentation? And how should effectiveness, fairness, and accountability be measured in hybrid human-AI environments?
This Research Topic seeks to advance an evidence-based debate on these issues. Authors are encouraged to contribute critical perspectives and practical insights on AI systems used to support deliberative processes — from data governance and model transparency to argument analysis, simulation methods, and platform innovation. Contributions may include conceptual, empirical, ethical, or methodological approaches addressing how AI can foster — or potentially hamper — democratic transition and civic empowerment.
In particular, the initiative invites submissions addressing themes such as hybrid human-machine moderation, technology-enabled public decision-making, evaluation of deliberative platforms, explainable AI in democratic contexts, data curation and governance for collective decision-making, and challenges related to the digitalization of in-person deliberation. Case studies from real-world public engagement processes are also highly welcomed.
The call is open to a broad range of article types — from Original Research to Policy Reviews and Technology and Code papers — ensuring an interdisciplinary arena of debate among political scientists, computer scientists, designers, social researchers, and practitioners. Manuscript summaries must be submitted by 31 December 2025, while full manuscripts are due by 31 March 2026.
With the increasing presence of algorithmic systems in democratic spaces, the urgency to reflect critically on their role has never been greater. ORBIS is proud to support knowledge production at this frontier, contributing to the development of democratic innovations that remain grounded in transparency, inclusiveness, and human autonomy.
Researchers and practitioners interested in participating can consult the author guidelines and submit their proposals through the dedicated platform.