AI and Democracy: Navigating Trust, Transparency, and Technology in Policymaking — March 24, 2026 Panel

​Evidence for Democracy’s public panel on March 24, 2026, explores how AI transforms government evidence collection and policymaking. Beatrice Wayne from the Samara Centre for Democracy, Helen Hayes from McGill’s Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy, and Dr. Renée Sieber from McGill’s Bieler School of Environment discuss transparency, bias prevention, and rebuilding public trust amid algorithmic opacity. The panel examines AI’s current use in policy development, fairness in evidence-based decision-making, and strategies for strengthening accountability as AI tools evolve. Panelists draw on expertise in investigations of Canada’s online spaces, youth-centered AI policymaking, and AI’s impacts on marginalized communities and civic participation. This panel advances NCDD’s mission by examining how emerging technologies shape democratic participation, evidence-based governance, and public trust, offering dialogue practitioners insights into maintaining democratic values of openness and integrity as algorithmic systems become embedded in decision-making processes affecting communities and civic engagement work.

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Evidence for Democracy is hosting a public panel on March 24, 2026, examining how artificial intelligence is transforming government evidence collection, data analysis, and public policy development, addressing pressing questions about transparency, bias prevention, and rebuilding public trust amid increasing misinformation and algorithmic opacity. The webinar brings together experts in policy, technology, and ethics to explore the tension between innovation and accountability as AI tools are integrated into governance, examining how AI is currently being used in policy development and implementation, implications for transparency and fairness in evidence-based decision-making, and strategies to strengthen accountability and public trust as AI evolves. The panel addresses urgent challenges facing democratic institutions as they adapt to technological change while maintaining core values of openness, integrity, and trust in evidence.

The discussion features Beatrice Wayne, Director of Research and Policy at the Samara Centre for Democracy and member of the Canadian Democracy Delegation, whose work includes Verified, an ongoing investigation into Canada's online digital spaces and their impact on politics and democracy; Helen Hayes, Associate Director for Policy at McGill's Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy, a Fellow at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, and Mila AI Policy Fellow recognized in Forbes 30 under 30 for contributions to youth-centered policymaking, whose work includes leading Canada's first national youth assembly on AI (Gen(Z)AI) and investigating policy solutions for regulating AI chatbots; and Dr. Renée Sieber, Associate Professor at McGill's Bieler School of Environment, named to the Top 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics 2025 for research on AI's impacts on marginalized communities, the environment, and Canadian society, with expertise on AI and civic participation and government procurement policy.

The panel addresses critical questions for democratic governance in an era where AI offers potential for more efficient and informed decision-making while raising concerns about transparency when algorithmic systems contribute to policy choices, safeguards preventing bias or misuse, and maintaining public accountability amid algorithmic opacity. By examining both risks and opportunities of AI integration into governance, Evidence for Democracy positions this conversation as essential for ensuring democratic institutions can harness technological capabilities without losing sight of values underpinning good governance. For dialogue and deliberation practitioners, the discussion offers insights into how emerging technologies shape the conditions for democratic participation, evidence-based policymaking, and public trust—issues increasingly central to civic engagement work as AI tools become embedded in decision-making processes affecting communities.
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To register for Evidence for Democracy's March 24, 2026, panel on AI and democracy, visit https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/ai-and-democracy-navigating-trust-truth-and-technology-in-policymaking/