State of the Art in “AI and Democracy” Research: Bridging Academic Interests & Public Concerns

Abstract

The intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and democracy has emerged as a significant yet underexplored domain in academic research, despite its prominence in public discourse. This study investigates the state of the art in “AI and Democracy” by analyzing 745 academic articles from the Web of Science (WoS) and 7,058 media records from Factiva over a period spanning more than 40 years. Using advanced text mining and topic modeling techniques, we identify key themes in academic and public discourse, highlighting overlaps and gaps between the two. Our findings reveal that while academia focuses on AI applications for public policy, democratic development, and complex modeling of democratic phenomena, public discourse emphasizes governance, regulation, and the social impact of AI, often reflecting concerns about misinformation, disinformation, and threats. This research underscores the need for greater alignment between academic inquiry and public priorities to address pressing social challenges, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and ensure that AI serves as a force for democratic resilience and development.