Read Beat (...and repeat)
If you're like me, you like to know things but how much time to invest? That's the question. Here's the answer: Read Beat--Interviews with authors of new releases. These aren't book reviews but short (about 25-30 minutes on the average) chats with folks that usually have taken a lot of time to research a topic, enough to write a book about it. Hopefully, there's a topic or two that interests you. I try to come up with subjects that fascinate me or I need to know more about. Hopefully, listeners will agree. I'm Steve Tarter, former reporter for the Peoria Journal Star and a contributor to WCBU-FM, the Peoria public radio outlet, from 20202 to 2024. I post regularly on stevetarter.substack.com.
Read Beat (...and repeat)
"Rewiring Democracy" by Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders
AI will change democracy. The only question is how, say the authors of a new book described as "surprisingly optimistic" when it comes to regarding how artificial intelligence will impact the world.
Bruce Schneier, a lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School, and data scientist Nathan Sanders see AI enabling positive change when it comes to politics. Their book, Rewiring Democracy, challenges readers reeling from AI overload to pay attention to the good that AI can do when it comes to governing.
But powerful players in private industry and public life are already using AI to increase their influence. Yet, steered in the right direction, an AI-augmented democracy can prevail, the authors note.
Schneier, the author of 14 books, including A Hacker’s Mind, said there's more to AI than ChatGPT or being able to make fake videos. He cited three examples of how AI technology is being used to benefit society.
“In Chile, AI is helping construct a program to help legislators see how new laws interact with existing laws. In California, Cal Matters, a watchdog organization, has developed Tipsheet, a database that gathers an enormous amount of data from state government, including every bill that’s been introduced, every word uttered in public hearings, and contributions made and makes it available to journalists. It augments journalism,” he said.
“In Japan there’s a move to use AI to help constituents have their voices heard, to make it easier for people to be involved in government decisions,” said Schneier. “I could also mention efforts being made in France, Germany, and Brazil to use AI in a meaningful way,” he said.
Rewiring Democracy relates how a mayoral candidate in Wyoming basically ran an “AI for Mayor” campaign in 2024. He lost—as did the politician who ran a similar campaign in England. “That’s not what we want,” said Schneier. “We don’t want AI to replace humans but augment humans.”
AI can also play a role in enabling more people to run for office, he said. Think of local elections where there’s little to no staff help, AI can help those candidates who might not have been able to afford to run before, said Schneier.
“Collectively, humans will help shape society’s next phase of transformation—the first to be influenced by AI. None of us will get exactly the future we want, but we can participate, compromise, and find common ground with each other while advocating for our own rights and needs," Schneier stated in the book.
"We are optimistic about the potential democratic impacts of AI, even though we see its flaws and potential for misuse, because we want to live in a world improved by the cleverness and industry of humankind. We see a landscape of choices ahead and maintain hope that we can navigate that landscape safely together,” Schneier said.
