Nathan E. Sanders and Bruce Schneier, "Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship" (MIT Press, 2025)

Oct 23, 2025

Nathan E. Sanders, an astrophysicist and data science expert, joins forces with renowned security technologist Bruce Schneier to unpack how AI is reshaping politics and governance. They discuss the dual nature of AI as both a tool for democracy and a risk to it, emphasizing the need for informed regulation. Sanders reveals how AI can enhance voter engagement and government efficiency while cautioning against its biases. He also highlights the geopolitical implications of AI in the U.S. and China, outlining paths for a decentralized and fair AI future.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

AI Is Already Embedded In Government

Governments already run thousands of real AI applications across agencies today, not just in theory.
The Biden administration published an inventory of over 2,000 government AI uses, showing scale and immediacy.

ANECDOTE

Maple: AI For Legislative Accessibility

Massachusetts built Maple to summarize thousands of bills and let residents submit testimony more easily.
The project uses AI to generate plain-language summaries so citizens can engage with legislation at scale.

INSIGHT

From Ballots To Continuous Civic Agents

AI could let citizens maintain continuous, personalized civic preferences instead of rare one-off ballot choices.
That shift might enable citizens to express positions frequently, but raises deep ethical and democratic questions.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

AI is changing democracy. We still get to decide how.
AI’s impact on democracy will go far beyond headline-grabbing political deepfakes and automated misinformation. Everywhere it will be used, it will create risks and opportunities to shake up long-standing power structures.
In this highly readable and advisedly optimistic book, Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship (MIT Press, 2025), security technologist Bruce Schneier and data scientist Nathan Sanders cut through the AI hype and examine the myriad ways that AI is transforming every aspect of democracy—for both good and ill.
The authors describe how the sophistication of AI will fulfill demands from lawmakers for more complex legislation, reducing deference to the executive branch and altering the balance of power between lawmakers and administrators. They show how the scale and scope of AI is enhancing civil servants’ ability to shape private-sector behavior, automating either the enforcement or neglect of industry regulations. They also explain how both lawyers and judges will leverage the speed of AI, upending how we think about law enforcement, litigation, and dispute resolution.
Whether these outcomes enhance or degrade democracy depends on how we shape the development and use of AI technologies. Powerful players in private industry and public life are already using AI to increase their influence, and AIs built by corporations don’t deliver the fairness and trust required by democratic governance. But, steered in the right direction, AI’s broad capabilities can augment democratic processes and help citizens build consensus, express their voice, and shake up long-standing power structures.
Democracy is facing new challenges worldwide, and AI has become a part of that. It can inform, empower, and engage citizens. It can also disinform, disempower, and disengage them. The choice is up to us. Schneier and Sanders blaze the path forward, showing us how we can use AI to make democracy stronger and more participatory.

Nathan E. Sanders is a data scientist focused on making policymaking more participatory. His research spans machine learning, astrophysics, public health, environmental justice, and more. He has served in fellowships at the Massachusetts legislature and the Berkman-Klein Center at Harvard University.

Caleb Zakarin is editor of the New Books Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science