On 17th June 2025, we held an online launch event with the authors and three panel members for the launch of the paper:
About the authors:
Claudia Chwalisz, Founder & CEO of DemocracyNext
Claudia has spent over a decade working on democratic innovation, beginning with research on populism and citizens' disillusionment with politics. She led the OECD’s work on innovative citizen participation from 2018–2022, where she developed the Deliberative Democracy Toolbox and co-authored key reports and standards. Claudia played a central role in designing the world’s first permanent Citizens’ Assemblies and has advised governments and institutions globally on deliberative processes. She is an Obama Leader (2023), and serves on advisory boards including the UN Democracy Fund and MIT’s Center for Constructive Communication. She is also the author of The Populist Signal and The People's Verdict.
Sammy McKinney, AI & Deliberation Fellow, DemocracyNext
Sammy is a PhD student in Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge. His PhD research critically explores the integration of artificial intelligence into processes of public deliberation, especially citizens’ assemblies. This research expands on his master's thesis carried out at the University of Edinburgh, which he published in an adapted form in the Journal of Deliberative Democracy. Beyond academia, Sammy has facilitated AI governance courses for BlueDot Impact, co-developed ethical guidelines for AI in public deliberation with deliberAIde, and planned tech-enhanced conservation projects with partners from across the globe through Rainforest Connection.
How to cite this paper:
