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Democracy Innovators Podcast

Democracy Innovators Podcast

democracyinnovators.com 57 Episodes Oct 1, 2026

The Democracy Innovators Podcast is an independent publication launched in February 2025 by Alessandro Oppo and Carlo Michaelis. It explores the intersection of technology and governance, focusing on how digital tools are used in politics and what the future may hold. Through interviews with civic hackers and those behind new forms of participation, the podcast shares insider stories and highlights innovative projects in the civic tech space.

Episodes

Paul Nemitz on AI’s threat to democracy, Big Tech power & decentralization
Paul Nemitz on AI’s threat to democracy, Big Tech power & decentralization Oct 1, 2026 2754 Paul Nemitz examines how concentrated control over data, infrastructure and AI can weaken democratic life, and argues that these technologies are not politically neutral. Drawing on his experience with the GDPR and other EU digital legislation, he discusses regulatory enforcement, the limits of treating code as law, and the importance of human judgment. The conversation concludes with a case for d
Thomas Lorenz on Brief nach Berlin, lowering barriers to participation & open-source civic tech
Thomas Lorenz on Brief nach Berlin, lowering barriers to participation & open-source civic tech Sep 22, 2026 3199 Thomas Lorenz discusses Brief nach Berlin, an open-source, AI-assisted tool that helps citizens identify the appropriate political representative, draft a letter about a local concern and then copy it by hand. The conversation uses this practical project to examine how civic technology can lower barriers to participation while preserving meaningful human action. It also considers AI’s risks for pr
Terry Bouricius on multi-body sortition and redesigning democratic lawmaking
Terry Bouricius on multi-body sortition and redesigning democratic lawmaking Sep 15, 2026 3595 Terry Bouricius is a former Vermont lawmaker who has spent decades working on democracy reform, now focused on sortition — the use of random selection to form representative citizens’ bodies. His experience as both a politician and reformer led him to question whether elections are actually democratic. In this episode, he explains why he sees elected legislatures as inherently oligarchic, drawing
Malik Lakoubay from Dark Matter Labs on financing civic infrastructure and democratic innovation
Malik Lakoubay from Dark Matter Labs on financing civic infrastructure and democratic innovation Sep 10, 2026 3383 Malik Lakoubay is a system builder and co-runs the Expanding Civilizational Optionality initiative at Dark Matter Labs, working at the intersection of civic infrastructure, finance, technology, and democratic renewal. In this episode, he explores how technology can enable new forms of participation and collective decision-making, from quadratic voting to community sensing in Mumbai. The conversati
Olivier Schulbaum on democracy after the platform and the struggle for democratic infrastructures
Olivier Schulbaum on democracy after the platform and the struggle for democratic infrastructures Sep 1, 2026 3214 Olivier Schulbaum co-founded Platoniq, a foundation at the intersection of participation, civic technology, culture, social innovation and democratic experimentation. He explains why citizen assemblies on sensitive issues should begin with those most affected, allowing them to shape the agenda before experts frame the question. The conversation also examines how institutional “technification” can
Ryan Koch from the Civic Tech Chat podcast on civic innovation and effective use of AI
Ryan Koch from the Civic Tech Chat podcast on civic innovation and effective use of AI Aug 25, 2026 3781 Ryan Koch, host of Civic Tech Chat, joins Alessandro Oppo for a cross-podcast conversation about the evolution of civic tech and the growing role of AI in public-interest technology. They discuss volunteer civic-tech communities, faster prototyping, public data, and the boundaries between civic tech, gov tech, and public-interest tech. The conversation also examines deterministic systems, AI guard
Gianluca Misuraca from Inspiring Futures on AI in the public sector
Gianluca Misuraca from Inspiring Futures on AI in the public sector Aug 12, 2026 2954 Gianluca Misuraca of Inspiring Futures Europe, coordinator of the European Union AI Skills Academy, discusses how foresight can help societies shape technological change. He explains why democratic control of AI depends on digital sovereignty, public-sector skills, interoperability, better procurement, and meaningful citizen participation. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider making a donatio
Alvaro Oleart on the instrumentalisation of EU participation processes & limits of AI for democracy
Alvaro Oleart on the instrumentalisation of EU participation processes & limits of AI for democracy Aug 4, 2026 3019 Alvaro Oleart is an academic researcher based in Brussels at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. His work focuses on social movements, EU participatory practices, democratic innovation, and the political economy of technology. In this conversation, he offers a critical perspective on citizen assemblies, arguing that they can depoliticize democracy when they bypass collective actors such as trade un
Alberto Fernandez Gibaja from International IDEA on Technology and Democracy
Alberto Fernandez Gibaja from International IDEA on Technology and Democracy Jul 29, 2026 3618 Alberto Fernandez Gibaja leads International IDEA’s global work at the intersection of technology and democracy. In this conversation, he discusses how the early optimism around digital technology changed after Brexit, Trump, and the rise of disinformation, why tech companies can be as powerful as medium-sized countries, and why democratic societies need more control over data, infrastructure, fou
Simon Horton on Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and How AI Can Help End War
Simon Horton on Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and How AI Can Help End War Jul 15, 2026 3179 Simon Horton is a negotiation expert, author, and lecturer who has taught negotiation for more than 20 years. In this conversation, he explains why the best negotiators do not treat negotiation as an arm wrestle, but as a collaborative problem-solving process. We discuss political negotiations, peace processes, citizen mediation, and how AI could support better conflict resolution. If you enjoy ou
Anthony Zacharzewski from Democratic Society on democratic infrastructure, participation and power
Anthony Zacharzewski from Democratic Society on democratic infrastructure, participation and power Jul 8, 2026 3193 Anthony Zacharzewski is the founder of Democratic Society, an organization working across Europe to build democratic infrastructure and improve participation in government. In this conversation, he discusses how participation can become part of institutional design, why democracy must engage seriously with power, and how digitalization and the agentic state could reshape the relationship between c
Alice Casiraghi on designing regenerative systems, public services, and democratic participation
Alice Casiraghi on designing regenerative systems, public services, and democratic participation Jun 30, 2026 3132 Alice Casiraghi is a systemic designer working on sustainability, circular economy, regenerative systems, and public services. She is a European Climate Pact Ambassador, teaches at Politecnico di Milano and created Climate Cards to educate on environmental impacts. Through her systemic approach, she gives new perspectives on participation of citizens and beyond. In the interview we talked about: I

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