University of Kwazulu-Natal

Exacerbating Alleviating Or Overcoming Exploring The Nexus Between

Bonisiwe Shabane
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exacerbating alleviating or overcoming exploring the nexus between

You have full access to this open access article When discussing the impact of AI on democracy, the debate predominantly centers on its potential threats, such as misinformation and polarization. However, the role of AI in addressing the democratic crisis is more nuanced. This paper examines three ways that AI might impact the crisis of democracy and discusses the conditions for which these scenarios are more likely to materialize. Firstly, AI could exacerbate this crisis by degrading the public sphere, exacerbating authoritarian rule and increasing power asymmetries. Second, AI could alleviate some aspects of the crisis of democracy by improving public services, rationalizing public debate, or paving the way for new forms of collective participation.

Thirdly, AI could overcome this crisis by paving the way for new forms of government beyond the current representative systems. If AI will exacerbate, alleviate, or overcome the crisis of democracy will depend not just on AI itself, but rather on the complex sociotechnical relationship between technology and the cultural, social, economic, legal, and... Therefore, we should avoid an essentialist perspective that consider “democracy” and “AI” as givens and embrace a more sociotechnical perspective that looks at how these two elements mutually influence each other. Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript. Numerous scholars have debated the impact of digital technology on society and political systems. Recently, pessimistic and more critical perspectives have gained prominence, extending beyond academic and intellectual circles.

In the United States, 78% of the population distrusts big tech companies, and 64% believe that social media has negatively impacted society, with only 10% perceiving its impact as positive [112]. Artificial intelligence is no exception. Concerns about this technology have grown in recent years, with 52% of U.S. citizens expressing more worry than excitement about AI, compared to just 10% who feel the opposite [111]. The debate over what constitutes artificial intelligence is vast and cannot be fully addressed here. Many scholars argue that comparisons with human intelligence are misleading, primarily because AI applications operate in fundamentally different ways from the human mind.

[20, 45]. As Luciano Floridi suggested [25], AI is a “shortcut” for generically referring to different disciplines, services and products. Therefore, a monolithic definition risks being misleading. However, we can embrace an internationally recognized working definition such as that proposed by the OECD, which claims that: Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox! “Exacerbate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacerbate.

Accessed 5 Dec. 2025. Nglish: Translation of exacerbate for Spanish Speakers Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Learn a new word every day. Delivered to your inbox!

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You Have Full Access To This Open Access Article When

You have full access to this open access article When discussing the impact of AI on democracy, the debate predominantly centers on its potential threats, such as misinformation and polarization. However, the role of AI in addressing the democratic crisis is more nuanced. This paper examines three ways that AI might impact the crisis of democracy and discusses the conditions for which these scenar...

Thirdly, AI Could Overcome This Crisis By Paving The Way

Thirdly, AI could overcome this crisis by paving the way for new forms of government beyond the current representative systems. If AI will exacerbate, alleviate, or overcome the crisis of democracy will depend not just on AI itself, but rather on the complex sociotechnical relationship between technology and the cultural, social, economic, legal, and... Therefore, we should avoid an essentialist p...

In The United States, 78% Of The Population Distrusts Big

In the United States, 78% of the population distrusts big tech companies, and 64% believe that social media has negatively impacted society, with only 10% perceiving its impact as positive [112]. Artificial intelligence is no exception. Concerns about this technology have grown in recent years, with 52% of U.S. citizens expressing more worry than excitement about AI, compared to just 10% who feel ...

[20, 45]. As Luciano Floridi Suggested [25], AI Is A

[20, 45]. As Luciano Floridi suggested [25], AI is a “shortcut” for generically referring to different disciplines, services and products. Therefore, a monolithic definition risks being misleading. However, we can embrace an internationally recognized working definition such as that proposed by the OECD, which claims that: Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox! “Exacerbate.” Merriam-Webster....

Accessed 5 Dec. 2025. Nglish: Translation Of Exacerbate For Spanish

Accessed 5 Dec. 2025. Nglish: Translation of exacerbate for Spanish Speakers Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Learn a new word every day. Delivered to your inbox!