In this episode of our special series produced in partnership with the Journal of Democracy, we explore “AI’s Real Dangers for Democracy,” the new article penned by Dean Jackson and Samuel Woolley (Journal of Democracy, Vol. 36, No. 4, October 2025)
Jackson and Woolley discuss the ways in which AI could strain, or even crack, the foundations of democracies; reflect on how the debate surrounding AI is structured and how it has evolved; and recommend practical steps through which those potential harms could be limited.
The podcast was recorded on October 9, the same day when Jackson and Wooley published an analysis in The Guardian on how AI threatens elections.
Dean Jackson is a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab and the principal of Public Circle, LLC, a research consultancy focused on democracy, technology, and media.
Samuel Woolley is associate professor of communication and holds the William S. Dietrich the Second Endowed Chair in Disinformation Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.
The interview was conducted by Ferenc Laczó. Alina Young edited the audio file.
