As AI becomes a foundational driver of economic changes, its influence on the social and political fabric of democracies exponentially grows. Building on the success of Tech4Democracy and AI4Democracy, AI4DemocraticProsperity (AI4DP) seeks to unlock the potential of AI to strengthen democratic institutions while driving inclusive and sustainable growth. AI4DP is the third phase of a years-long global research initiative led by the Center for the Governance of Change at IE University, with Microsoft as strategic partner.
AI4DP seeks to:
- Understand the relationship between economic and political systems in the age of AI, exploring in an innovative way how the AI Economy –and the transformations it brings to the labor, educational and business markets– impact the social and democratic fabric of societies.
- Promote the role of AI in fostering strong democracies with thriving economies, spearheading a groundbreaking and hands-on pilot project to identify new prosperity-advancing and democracy-affirming uses of AI.
THE PROJECT
THE PROJECT
The recent emergence of the AI Economy as a concept, marked in the global collective consciousness by the initial release of ChatGPT in November 2022, makes AI4DP a critical initiative for policymakers, industry leaders and civil society worldwide, and one that is radically original in linking the economic and political effects of AI in the current geopolitical context.
AI4DP brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers to explore how prosperity and democracy can reinforce one another in the age of AI. The initiative is built on two mutually reinforcing pillars.
The AI and Prosperity pillar will research:
- Economic Growth in the Age of AI: To what extent does the level of AI adoption correlate with the productivity, competitiveness, level of investment and growth rate of countries or firms; and what should public and private leaders do to make this correlation as positive and strong as possible, and promote inclusive growth in the AI Economy.
- Talent and Opportunities in the Age of AI: To what extent is AI transforming the job market and the skilling, upskilling and reskilling of students and workers; and how should institutions adapt to the new reality and spread the opportunities and benefits of the Knowledge Economy.
The AI and Democracy pillar will research:
- Policymaking in the Age of AI: To what extent are public administrations in democratic countries able to understand and leverage AI to make policymaking more effective and efficient; as well as how governments can harness AI for better, more transparent and accountable policymaking and enhanced public sector delivery.
- Citizenship in the Age of AI: To what extent are citizens in democracies affected by AI in their personal, professional and civic lives, and how this correlates with their level of social (dis)satisfaction and ideological polarization; and what should governments, businesses and civil society do to foster more stable and cohesive societies and stronger and more inclusive democracies.
Our program explores the intersection of AI with two critical pillars, prosperity and democracy, bringing together pioneering research, high-level conferences and real-world applications:
Spring – Fall 2025:
Paper 1: AI & Economic Growth (Pillar: Prosperity)
Paper 2: AI & Policymaking (Pillar: Democracy)
Conference 1 (in Europe): A forum bridging insights from the first two papers.
Fall 2025 – Spring 2026:
Paper 3: AI, Talent & Opportunity (Pillar: Prosperity)
Paper 4: AI & Citizenship (Pillar: Democracy)
Conference 2 (in the US): A forum bridging insights from papers 3and 4.
Final Phase
Pilot Project Case Study: data-driven pilot project to test at a small scale in the real world the level of correlation between certain economic conditions of shared prosperity and the strength and stability of democracies in the age of AI.
Final Report: will situate in context, summarize and analyze the initiative’s papers and the pilot project, extracting their key findings and offering strategic recommendations for public and private decision-makers.
