Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI

In this interview with Cool Science Radio, Beth Simone Noveck discusses the central argument of her new book, Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy, that AI is not simply a threat to democracy but a tool that can help make governments more effective, responsive, and participatory. Drawing on examples from around the world, she explores how AI can improve public services, strengthen civic engagement, and rebuild trust in democratic institutions.

Deborah Stine outlines 10 questions about electricity demand, water use, workforce impacts, and community benefit agreements that communities should ask before construction begins. Gulnaz Kordanova examines Kazakhstan's rapid expansion from digital government into sovereign AI infrastructure, warning that gaps in connectivity, devices, and digital literacy could deepen inequality in the AI era. Anita McGahan argues that the most urgent AI-era leadership challenges in government are deeply human ones — psychological safety, honest feedback, and helping people perform under uncertainty. Debates over tech infrastructure continue, with David Eaves calling for interoperable cloud markets and the European Commission unveiling a digital autonomy package.

Kazakhstan built one of the world’s most advanced digital governments in less than two decades. Now the country is racing into the next phase: AI-enabled governance, sovereign AI infrastructure, and nationwide AI deployment. But this transition is exposing a harder question beneath the ambition: what happens when countries move toward frontier AI systems before large parts of the population have reliable electricity, affordable internet, laptops, or the skills needed to use AI meaningfully?