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The Diplomat ·Future-gazing

AI and the Risk to Democracy

by Mercy A. Kuo

Published 2026-10-07 22:31:00+09:00

Can a machine ever be safe if the government controlling it answers to no one?

0:00 / 9:49 · Narrator Rasalgethi

Context

In an interview published on 7 October 2026, Mercy Kuo speaks with AI researcher Matthew Botvinick about a missing piece in the technology debate. They look at what happens when artificial intelligence meets a fragile political system. While public anxiety usually focuses on rogue algorithms, Botvinick points toward a more familiar human threat. He makes the case that a perfectly safe algorithm means very little if the government controlling it is already falling apart.

Show notes

An interview examining how artificial intelligence threatens constitutional democracy by enabling mass surveillance and weakening institutional checks and balances. The conversation outlines how these systems shift power from citizens to the state, using China as a practical example of authoritarian control. It argues that technical safety measures fail without democratic institutions to prevent political misuse.

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