# How AI Is Impacting Elections and our Democracy _ Bruce Schneier - Rewiring Democracy #ai #politcs

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaXbOuf8RpU
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/QaXbOuf8RpU
Generated: 2025-10-09T06:02:06.423+00:00

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## Quick Overview

The book "Rewiring Democracy," co-authored by Ethan Sanders and Bruce Schneier, details how Artificial Intelligence is already impacting and changing elections and democracy globally through concrete examples, such as AI being used for tax collection, drafting legislation, and even influencing judicial rulings, indicating that AI's role in political processes is a current reality, not a future hypothetical.

**Key Points:**
- Ethan Sanders and Bruce Schneier co-authored a new book titled "Rewiring Democracy," focusing on AI's current impact on democratic processes.
- AI is already being used globally for tasks like automatically answering voter questions during live streams using an AI avatar, which raises questions about effectiveness.
- Governments worldwide, including in Canada, South Africa, Nigeria, Italy, and Turkey, utilize AI to facilitate tax collection and pursue tax evaders to increase revenue.
- The Japanese gubernatorial candidate for Tokyo used AI to automatically answer thousands of voter questions during live YouTube streams via an AI avatar.
- The French legislature is developing AI models to support staff in processing legislative amendments, demonstrating AI's entry into law-making processes.
- A US federal judge has reportedly used large language models to interpret the plain meaning of words in judicial rulings.
- The book maps out emerging use cases of AI in governance to help society grapple with and steer these changes, including in California where cities use AI for live-streaming and transcribing council meetings.

![Screenshot at 0:00: Ethan Sanders introduces himself and the topic of his new book, 'Rewiring Democracy,' which addresses how AI is changing democracy, holding his cat Roman.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/QaXbOuf8RpU/00-00-00.png)

**Context:** Ethan Sanders, co-author of the new book "Rewiring Democracy" written with Bruce Schneier, introduces the central theme: the tangible and immediate effects of Artificial Intelligence on modern democratic structures and elections. Sanders is recording a series of short videos to share insights from the book, often featuring his cat, Roman, for levity, as he explains that AI's influence is already a present reality across various governmental functions worldwide.

## Detailed Analysis

Ethan Sanders, co-author of "Rewiring Democracy" with Bruce Schneier, outlines several key ways Artificial Intelligence is already affecting governance and democracy, emphasizing that these changes are not hypothetical but are currently unfolding. He cites examples of AI being used in various countries: in Canada, electoral agencies use AI to predict and manage crop yields; in Japan, a Tokyo gubernatorial candidate used an AI avatar during YouTube live streams to answer thousands of voter questions, raising questions about effectiveness; and in the US, a federal judge has used large language models to interpret legal language in rulings. Furthermore, governments in South Africa, Nigeria, Italy, and Turkey employ AI to enhance tax collection and target tax evaders to boost revenue. The French legislature is actively developing AI models to assist legislative staff in processing and managing amendments. Sanders also mentions California cities using AI to live-stream and transcribe municipal meetings for greater accessibility. The overall goal of the book is to map these emerging uses so that society can understand and steer the direction of AI integration into civic life, including how it redefines what it means to be a citizen practicing democracy.

### Book Introduction

- Ethan Sanders discusses co-authoring 'Rewiring Democracy' with Bruce Schneier
- Focus is on current, not hypothetical, AI impacts on democracy
- A series of three short videos will share insights from the book.

### Global Governmental AI Adoption

- AI is used worldwide for tax collection in South Africa, Nigeria, Italy, and Turkey to increase revenue and target evaders
- A Tokyo candidate used an AI avatar to answer thousands of live stream questions
- French legislature is developing AI to support staff in processing legislative amendments.

### AI in Legal and Civic Processes

- A US federal judge used LLMs to interpret the plain meaning of words in rulings
- California cities use AI to live-stream and transcribe city council meetings for accessibility
- AI is used in Canada to facilitate crop yield management.

### Future Implications

- Sanders plans to detail how AI is changing the practice of law and what it means to be a citizen in an AI-integrated democracy in subsequent videos
- The book attempts to map all emerging use cases to guide society's response.

![Screenshot at 0:00: Ethan Sanders begins his discussion, introducing himself and his co-author Bruce Schneier regarding their book on AI and democracy.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/QaXbOuf8RpU/00-00-00.png)
![Screenshot at 0:18: Sanders holds his cat, Roman, briefly interrupting the serious political discussion for a moment of levity.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/QaXbOuf8RpU/00-00-18.png)
![Screenshot at 0:45: Sanders gestures while describing the Japanese gubernatorial candidate who used an AI avatar to answer voter questions in live streams.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/QaXbOuf8RpU/00-00-45.png)
![Screenshot at 1:13: Visual cue as Sanders discusses how AI facilitates tax collection and targets tax evaders globally, mentioning specific countries.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/QaXbOuf8RpU/00-01-13.png)
![Screenshot at 1:44: Sanders details the French legislature's use of AI models to support staff in processing legislative amendments.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/QaXbOuf8RpU/00-01-44.png)
![Screenshot at 2:00: Sanders explains how a US federal judge used LLMs to interpret the plain meaning of words in judicial rulings.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/QaXbOuf8RpU/00-02-00.png)
![Screenshot at 2:21: Sanders discusses AI's use in California for live-streaming and transcribing city council meetings to increase accessibility.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/QaXbOuf8RpU/00-02-21.png)
![Screenshot at 2:57: Sanders concludes the segment by directing viewers to the next video for more detail on AI's impact on citizenship.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/QaXbOuf8RpU/00-02-57.png)