Call for Ideas: AI and Democratic Governance

The Mercatus Center seeks to solicit ideas and proposals on the impact of AI technologies and how they may transform the practice and processes of democratic governance, markets, and civil society.

We are seeking realistic proposals that engage the possibilities and risks of AI technologies in applied settings.

Examples of questions motivating this proposal include: What are the philosophical and ethical implications of AI where it concerns privacy, human rights, individual agency, and human dignity, and creativity? What impact will AI technology have on civil liberties, the legal system, representation and participation in democracy, national security, global trade, free speech, and the operation of the administrative state? What institutional solutions exist that harness technological innovation in a way that supports democratic governance, markets, and enhances trust in governance and market settings?

We are interested in receiving proposals for grants to support projects including research papers, books, blogs, interactive web platforms and applications, workshops, fiction and artistic endeavors, and commercially viable entertainment.

Projects can be undertaken independently; under the auspices of a non-profit, university, firm, or other existing entity, or in some cases on an “in-house” basis at Mercatus.

We welcome submissions from individual people and small groups from various backgrounds. We’re especially interested in action-oriented, scalable projects that large foundations may consider too risky or outside-the-box to fund. Support may include amounts ranging from $100 to $100,000 or beyond. Small initial investments that demonstrate success or promise may be quickly followed by larger grants.