As democratic systems grapple with growing complexity, polarisation, and public distrust, the need for inclusive, transparent, and high-quality deliberative processes has become ever more urgent. The ORBIS project — funded under Horizon Europe — explores how deliberative democracy can be meaningfully scaled across socio-technical systems, including digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) playing a supporting role in enhancing collective dialogue and argument mapping.
This interactive online workshop, taking place on Friday, 20 June from 10:30 to 13:00 CET, will highlight how digital innovation can support and extend deliberative processes — provided it is rooted in human-centred design, inclusive facilitation, and critical reflection. It is designed for a broad audience of democratic innovators, civic tech developers, public officials, researchers, and civil society actors working at the intersection of participatory governance, AI ethics, and democratic renewal. It will be divided into two focused sessions, led by members of the ORBIS consortium.
In the first session, Innovating Democracy Through Novel Deliberative Processes (10:30–11:55 CET), a panel of experts will explore how deliberation can address complexity, rebuild trust, and strengthen democratic legitimacy. Drawing on ORBIS research goals and on pilot experiences across Europe, the session connects theory with practice and includes a breakout discussion to reflect on key critical questions emerging across different governance settings.
The second session, Technology in Action: AI and Argument Mining in ORBIS (12:00–12:50 CET), focuses on the digital dimension of deliberation. Participants will be introduced to the ORBIS toolkit — particularly its argument mining features — and take part in live demonstrations and hands-on exercises to see how AI can help identify, analyse, and visualise public reasoning at scale
Why Attend?
Participants will gain early access to the project’s insights, experience live demonstrations of the tools, and engage in hands-on exercises. Breakout sessions and interactive components will allow attendees to reflect on how these innovations can be applied or adapted to their own contexts and levels of governance.
Draft Agenda
SESSION 1 — Innovating Democracy Through Novel Deliberative Processes
10:30 – 10:35
Welcome & Introduction to the ORBIS Project
Ilaria Mariani, Assistant Professor, Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano — ORBIS Project Lead
10:35 – 11:15
Panel Discussion: “The Value of Deliberation as a Tool to Ignite Change in Democratic Practices”
Panelists:
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Elina Makri, General Manager, The Democracy and Culture Foundation (DCF)
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Anna Moro, Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano
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Sara Greco, Full Professor of Argumentation, Università della Svizzera italiana
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Anna De Liddo, Full Professor of Human-Computer Interaction, The Open University
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Grazia Concilio, Full Professor, Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano
Moderated by:
Timothy Yeung, Research Fellow, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
11:15 – 11:40
Mini Breakout Session:
Reflecting on ORBIS Findings, Recommendations and Lessons Learned
11:40 – 11:45
Wrap-up and Conclusions
Break (5’)
SESSION 2 — Technology in Action: AI and Argument Mining in ORBIS
11:50 – 12:15
ORBIS Technology in Action: Diving Deep into Argument Mining Functionalities
Presenters:
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Ioannis Efstathiou, Senior Researcher, Novelcore — ORBIS Technical Coordinator
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Sara Greco, Full Professor of Argumentation, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI)
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Sofiane Elguendouze, Researcher, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
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Lucas Anastasiou, Research Associate, The Open University
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Enrico Fagnoni, Developer, PolisOrbis
Moderated by:
Caterina Berardi, Strategy and Policy Officer (Executive Cabinet), Re-Imagine Europa (RIE)
12:15 – 12:50
Mini Breakout Session:
Detecting Argumentation: Manual and Mining Techniques
12:50 – 13:00
Wrap-up & Next Steps