talkDemocracy & power concentrationBuilding societal resilience

AI safety should prioritise democracy

7 July 2026 · 4:00 pm–4:13 pm · Cullen

The weak have only ever resisted the strong one way: by coordinating. Language was the original coordination technology; democracy scaled it. AI is the first technology that both erodes coordination and removes the powerful's need for the many — threatening democracy, and with it our ability to tackle every future AI threat. Preserving our coordinative capacity, via democracy, should therefore be the prime focus of AI safety.

Speaker

Jamie Freestone
Independent researcher, Independent
A former academic (philosophy of mind & autonomous systems), I now do consulting & use this to fund my independent research & advocacy in AI safety. I'm especially focused on AI-based threats to democracy, including concentration of power in Big Tech, surveillance overreach by governments, & gradual disempowerment. I've worked on capabilities research, AI in the military, & AI policy work in the screen industry. I attended the 2024 forum.

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