Data Management in AI-Enhanced Democratic Systems

This chapter examines the ethical dimensions of data use in democratic contexts, focusing on the responsibilities and dilemmas that arise as data and AI systems become embedded in public decision-making. While previous chapters explored the potential of data to enhance participation and transparency, this chapter turns to the normative foundations that should guide such processes. It discusses key ethical principles—such as transparency, accountability, fairness, privacy and explainability—and considers how these values can be upheld in both policy and technical design. The chapter emphasizes that data ethics requires ongoing reflection, inclusive governance and public engagement. To ground these discussions, the chapter illustrates how different projects deal with data management and ethics in practice. These cases offer insights into the tensions, trade-offs and innovative approaches that emerge when aligning data-driven innovation with democratic values and underscore the importance of ethics as a dynamic and context-aware process.