When AI Meets Inclusive Governance
Can AI help make global policymaking more inclusive? This collaborative research explores how AI-assisted analysis can help ensure diverse voices are meaningfully heard.
New research led by Dr. Victoria Ustenko, Associate Professor at the Amrita School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (AmritaSSBS) and Research Head at the Center for Women’s Empowerment & Gender Equality (AmritaCWEGE), examines how AI-assisted analysis can support inclusive citizen participation in global policymaking.
Published in Frontiers in Political Science, the study considers how researchers and policymakers can better interpret citizens’ responses while recognising differences in how people express their experiences, concerns and priorities.
Research Poster
Examining Participation Across Countries
The research draws on the Civil 20 India 2023 International Grassroots Survey, involving 5,152 participants across 64 countries and 24 languages.
Survey Participants
People who contributed responses to the international survey.
Countries
Countries represented in the survey.
Languages
Languages used to collect responses.
Median Response Length
Six words for the Global South compared with nine words for the Global North.
Among participants from the Global South with primary-level education, 74.2% provided answers too short to convey meaningful policy-relevant information, according to the study.
Why Listening Requires More Than Counting Responses
Collecting responses does not automatically mean that people’s experiences are understood. Differences in language, education and opportunities for expression can influence how much detail participants provide. Important concerns may be overlooked if analysis focuses only on broad patterns.
Treating all responses as one overall trend can also obscure the context and priorities that make individual and community perspectives meaningful.
From Counting Voices to Understanding Them
Inclusive policymaking requires more than inviting people to participate. It requires approaches that help decision-makers understand what people are communicating, including perspectives that may be difficult to express in a short response.
A Framework for Responsible AI-Assisted Analysis
The paper proposes a framework for using AI-assisted analysis responsibly in citizen consultation. The approach aims to help researchers interpret responses while preserving diverse perspectives rather than reducing them to generalised trends.
Recognise Context
Consider how language and educational background shape responses.
Preserve Diversity
Avoid allowing broad trends to hide differences between communities.
Support Interpretation
Use AI-assisted analysis to help examine responses and identify perspectives requiring attention.
Strengthen Inclusion
Keep meaningful citizen participation central to consultation analysis.
The study contributes to discussions about the responsible use of AI in public participation and global governance. Technology should support deeper understanding of citizens’ views, not simply make large volumes of responses easier to process.
When AI Meets Inclusive Governance
Read the research paper published in Frontiers in Political Science to explore the findings and proposed framework.
Read the Research Paper ↗Collaborative Research
The study was led by Dr. Victoria Ustenko, with co-authors Nimita Pandey, Shubham Sharma, Shakti Kumar Roy, Matthijs Fakkel, Susan Witt and Bhavani Rao R. Their collaborative work contributes to discussions at the intersection of AI, citizen participation and inclusive governance.
Research for More Inclusive Policymaking
Inclusive policymaking depends not only on hearing more voices, but on understanding what those voices are telling us. Responsible AI-assisted analysis may help make citizen consultations more attentive to diverse experiences and perspectives.
Explore the Research
Read the open-access paper to learn more about AI-assisted analysis and inclusive citizen participation.
Access the Open-Access Paper ↗