Recap: Workshop Explores AI-Assisted Deliberation for Decentralized Social Networks

Project Liberty Institute and Georgetown University's Tech and Public Policy program held a two-day Workshop on Deliberation, Governance and Decentralized Social Networks in November, exploring how AI-assisted deliberation can help online communities govern themselves democratically by enabling meaningful deliberative decision-making entirely online in hours or minutes at modest cost. McCourt Public Policy students tested three online deliberative tools—deliberation.io, Online Deliberation Platform, and Frankly—through mock content moderation deliberation, with survey results showing the process encouraged listening and understanding, followed by sessions examining legitimacy criteria for digital deliberation and self-governance needs of decentralized networks. Three key insights emerged: a robust ecosystem of deliberative tools already exists with the challenge being tailoring them for specific communities; deliberation must be inclusive, transparent, and yield binding decisions regardless of format; and deliberative tooling design must remain human-centered even when incorporating AI assistance, representing important progress for practitioners navigating how digital tools can extend rather than replace traditional deliberative values.

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This past November, Project Liberty Institute (PLI) and Georgetown University's Tech and Public Policy (TPP) program brought together practitioners, researchers, and students for a two-day Workshop on Deliberation, Governance and Decentralized Social Networks at Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy in Washington, D.C. The gathering explored a timely question for anyone working in dialogue and deliberation: How can AI-assisted deliberation help online communities govern themselves democratically?

​The workshop addressed a familiar tension in deliberative practice. Traditional deliberative democracy has proven powerful but resource-intensive, typically requiring days or weeks of in-person engagement with representative participants. Recent technological advances, particularly AI applications, are changing this landscape—making it possible for deliberative decision-making to happen entirely online and produce meaningful results in hours or even minutes at relatively modest cost. This shift opens democratic governance to online communities and platforms that previously lacked resources for robust participatory processes.

Day One: Experiencing Digital Deliberation

​The workshop launched with McCourt Public Policy students engaging in hands-on learning during an afternoon session. Students tested three separate online deliberative tools—deliberation.io, Online Deliberation Platform, and Frankly—through a mock deliberation addressing content moderation policy. This experiential approach allowed participants to understand AI-assisted deliberation from the inside, sparking insightful dialogue about how digital tools can bridge differences within and across communities.
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That evening, experts gathered for a reception featuring opening remarks from McCourt School of Public Policy Dean Carole Roan Gresenz, who recognized the strong partnership between PLI and TPP and the alignment between the workshop's goals and Georgetown's Jesuit values. Jessica Theodule, PLI's Research Manager of Strategic Insights, then shared compelling survey results from the afternoon's mock deliberation. Students overwhelmingly agreed that the deliberative process encouraged listening and understanding—evidence that well-designed digital tools can cultivate the relational qualities essential to productive dialogue.

Day Two: Examining Legitimacy and Self-Governance

Three significant insights emerged from the workshop's conversations. First, a robust ecosystem of deliberative tools already exists to meet online communities' governance needs, including those of decentralized social networks. The principal challenge lies not in creating new technologies but in tailoring existing tools for specific communities, contexts, and decisions.

Second, for deliberation to genuinely matter, processes must be inclusive and transparent, with decisions reached carrying binding authority. This principle holds true regardless of whether deliberation happens face-to-face or digitally, underscoring that technological innovation cannot substitute for fundamental democratic commitments.

Third, deliberative tooling design must remain human-centered, particularly when incorporating AI assistance. As platforms experiment with automated facilitation and synthesis, keeping human experience, understanding, and agency at the center remains essential.
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For dialogue and deliberation practitioners navigating the intersection of technology and democratic practice, this workshop represents important progress in understanding how digital tools can extend rather than replace traditional deliberative values. The collaboration between Project Liberty Institute and Georgetown's Tech and Public Policy program demonstrates what becomes possible when technologists and democratic governance experts work together toward shared goals of human flourishing and collective self-determination.

Learn more about the Workshop on Deliberation, Governance and Decentralized Social Networks and Project Liberty Institute's work at: https://projectliberty.io/news-and-insights/workshop-on-deliberation-governance-and-decentralized-social-networks/