The series of blog posts titled “From Citizen to Senator: Artificial Intelligence and the Reinvention of Citizen Lawmaking in Brazil” by Beth Noveck, Dane Gambrell, Alisson Bruno Dias De Queiroz, and Luis Kimaid offers a comprehensive and inspiring overview of how the Brazilian Senate is leveraging AI to enhance citizen participation in legislative processes.
As someone deeply engaged in digital democracy and legislative innovation, I find their vision both promising and aligned with long-standing aspirations for more inclusive, intelligent, and deliberative policymaking.
In this response, I share a few reflections that build upon the article’s insights—adding examples from other branches of Brazil’s Congress and past civic tech initiatives.
Beyond Yes or No: The Case for Nuanced Participation
One of the core challenges in today’s public consultation systems is the reliance on binary yes/no voting. As the authors rightly note, this format oversimplifies public opinion and limits meaningful engagement.
At the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, we have already begun to address this. A polling mechanism—designed by the Chamber’s Hacker Lab (Labhacker) and implemented by its IT department—allows citizens to express five levels of opinion, from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”, and even add arguments for or against proposals.
This system, in place for several years, captures a more detailed picture of public sentiment and sets the stage for AI tools to further analyze and synthesize these varied inputs.
Interest-Based Notifications: A Smart Way to Engage
The article’s suggestion to use AI for interest-based notifications is particularly compelling.
Imagine a system where citizens register their personal interests and receive updates on bills that matter to them. This personalized engagement model can increase participation by making legislation more relatable to everyday life.
AI could also help policymakers connect the dots—finding thematic overlaps across different regions or social groups and enabling more targeted, equitable policies.
As the authors propose, extending this to global issues like climate change or internet governance could empower Brazilian citizens to deliberate alongside their international peers.
Virtual Participation: A Doorway to Immersive Democracy
Another exciting idea is using AI to create virtual environments for legislative engagement.
At the Chamber’s Hacker Lab (again), we experimented with this back in 2017–2018 through the Virtual 360 Floor project. Using 360° and augmented reality video, we simulated what it would feel like to be inside a legislative session.
Though limited by political interest at the time, advances in immersive tech may soon bring this vision closer to reality—especially if combined with AI narration and contextualization.
Chatbots as Civic Mentors
The blog also highlights the potential for AI to organize and moderate citizen input during public hearings. This echoes a vision I’ve long held: AI-powered chatbots acting as mentors for civic participation.
Such bots could explain legislative debates, summarize arguments, and invite users to contribute in accessible ways—by voice, text, or visual tools. This would not only lower barriers to entry but improve the clarity and relevance of public input for lawmakers.
Elevating Minority Voices with AI
I was especially struck by the reference to Google DeepMind’s “Habermas Machine” experiment, where AI helped synthesize public opinion into consensus statements—amplifying not just majority views but minority perspectives as well.
This speaks to a long-standing concern: how do we ensure that underrepresented or less digitally skilled groups aren’t drowned out by louder, more organized voices online?
Here, AI can be a powerful equalizer—giving lawmakers a fuller, more honest picture of what citizens really think.
A Necessary Caveat: Participation ≠ Influence
However, a crucial caveat must be made.
While creating broader, more inclusive maps of public opinion is a wonderful achievement, it doesn’t necessarily mean that members of Congress will use that input when making decisions.
We must remain vigilant to ensure that participation isn’t just symbolic—but actually feeds into the political process in meaningful ways.
Final Thoughts: The Dream Is Alive
Brazil's Senate e-Cidadania Program is well-positioned to lead the world in combining AI with democratic engagement. But we must draw from innovations across all branches of government—and stay grounded in human-centered values: inclusion, diversity of perspective, and meaningful deliberation.
AI, when thoughtfully deployed, can be the bridge that transforms citizen voice into legislative insight.
At least, that is our dream.
Cristiano Ferri is the former head of the Hacker Lab in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies. He holds a PhD from Rio de Janeiro State University.
Photo Credit: Chico Ferreira
