Dirk Helbing & Sachit Mahajan 

We critically examine the evolving functionality and challenges of democracies in the age of digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI). Contrary to notions of democracy as a static governance form, we emphasize the importance of its adaptability, but find that recent technological and institutional shifts have undermined foundational mechanisms such as decentralized decision-making, transparent information flows, and effective self-correction. Drawing from complexity science, political theory, participatory research and computational social science, we analyze how algorithmic control, surveillance capitalism, and power asymmetries have affected core democratic principles. We pay specific attention to structural changes in political representation, civic participation, and how these have affected public trust. We further discuss a set of recent, digitally assisted approaches, ranging from deliberative platforms and participatory budgeting to fair voting systems and co-creation, which can potentially restore the legitimacy of democratic systems and their resilience. By understanding democracies as dynamic, co-evolving systems, we highlight the potential of plu-ralistic design. Aligning technological progress with constitutional principles can meaningfully repair, revive and updgrade democratic systems and institutions.

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