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Feeding the Beast: Powering Democratic AI with Open Data

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 2d

Like Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors, AI is ravenous, and public data feeds the beast.

As we celebrate #OGPSummit and 15 years of open data, it’s time to ask: What do people get in return?

My latest post: rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/powering-ai-with-open-data

See you soon @opengovpartnership.org

AI’s biggest breakthroughs were built on public datasets; the next wave should be, too. If governments make data AI-ready and keep access open, we can power tools that explain laws, improve services, ...

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 6d

This week’s News That Caught Our Eye captures an ongoing shift:

Governments, everyday citizens, and institutions aren’t just reacting to AI, they’re beginning to shape it.

📰 Read the roundup: rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/news-th...

#RebootDemocracy #NewsThatCaughtOurEye

Opinion | Don’t treat Albania’s AI minister like a stunt

Reposted by Beth Simone Noveck

Washington Post Opinions @postopinions.bsky.social · 11d

"If Albania’s chatbot is merely symbolic, it will fail. But if used to increase transparency and competition in procurement, it might succeed where human ministers have not," writes @bethnoveck.bsky.social, a professor at Northeastern University and director of the Governance Lab.

Plus: Readers discuss Trump’s pressure campaign against prosecutors and Palestinian statehood.

wapo.st

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Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 9d

Would you want your teen’s convos secretly monitored by an AI pendant, sold as a “friend”?

My son Amedeo and I explore why friend.com crosses every ethical and legal line for the Rebot Democracy blog.

📖 rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/friend-...

#ResponsibleAI #YouthSafety #TechEthics #RebootDemocracy

friend.com or foe.com?

The New York City subway would never accept an ad for a hitman-for-hire service, or for a pill that claimed to cure depression but wasn’t FDA-approved, or a social network designed exclusively to groo...

News that Caught Our Eye #77 - News That Caught Our Eye

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 13d

AI in Congress. Chips in the UAE. Transparency in Spain. And in Albania, an AI “minister” that deserves more than a shrug.

Don’t miss this week’s News That Caught Our Eye, including my Washington Post op-ed.

📖 rebootdemocracy.ai/newsthatcaug...

Congress will roll out Microsoft Copilot for 6,000 House staffers. Ohio launches an AI-powered public safety app while Albania’s AI “minister” echoes a South Korean experiment. A Supreme Court ruling

Governing with AI: Why Albania’s Chatbot Minister Makes More Sense Than You Think

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 15d

Participation only works when tools match purpose.

Dane Gambrell reflects on peoplepowered.bsky.social's new platform guide + how to design engagement that works. Read the post buff.ly/EMyd7b9

Then join us tomorrow at 3pm ET for a workshop: buff.ly/1lC39Uc

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 16d

🏛️✨ Governing with AI: Why Albania's Chatbot Minister Makes More Sense Than You Think

Done right — and Albania still has to prove it — technology can narrow the space for bribery.

rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/Diella-... 📖

The Washington Post dismisses Albania’s chatbot minister as a gimmick. Yet Seoul proved 25 years ago that well-designed digital systems can curb corruption by limiting discretion and increasing transp...

InnovateUS Workshop Series

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 16d

🛠️ Join the next AI for Democratic Engagement workshop "Different AI Horses for Different Courses" with Greta Rios and Greta Ríos and Nikhil Kumar of @peoplepowered.org
this Wed, Sept 24: events.zoom.us/ev/AsyVb0keS...

events.zoom.us

Public engagement matters. But governments need to learn to listen better (and faster)

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 16d

Public engagement matters. But governments need to learn to listen better (and faster) 👂⚡

@aguedaq.bsky.social of @innovateus.bsky.social and
Sarah Hubbard of @harvardash.bsky.social reflect on insights from my recent workshop w/Danielle Allen: rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/public-...

@thegovlab.org

Agueda Quiroga (InnovateUS) and Sarah Hubbard (Allen Lab) reflect on insights from the Reboot Democracy workshop series with Beth Noveck and Danielle Allen, and why 21st-century democracy needs better...

«Herritarrak ekosistema egoki bat topatu behar du entzuna izateko, jendea ez baita entzuna sentitzen»

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 17d

Wonderful profile of @josepmarti76.bsky.social discussing how AI, if used well, "could take us to a new level of democracy."

José Luis Martí @jlmarti.bsky.social · 17d

Aquí la entrevista que me hizo Gurutze Izaguirre para el diario @berria.eus con motivo de mi participación en la escuela de verano del parlamento vasco y la UPV. Está en euskera pero si no lo entendéis podéis traducirlo automáticamente
www.berria.eus/euskal-herri...

Josep Lluis Marti Nola defenituko zenuke bizi dugun demokrazia? Uste dut denoi kezkatu beharko gintuzkeen gauza batzuk gertatzen ari diraa. Demokrazia hondatzen ari da oinarrizkoak dituen zent...

www.berria.eus

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Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 17d

In case you missed this week's @thegovlab.org News that Caught Our Eye #76 on AI, democracy and governance: From @stateofnewjersey.bsky.social second-generation AI strategy to Albania’s AI “minister" and why engagement with AI matters from Danielle Allen rebootdemocracy.ai/newsthatcaug...

News that Caught Our Eye #76 - News That Caught Our Eye

From New Jersey’s second-generation AI strategy to Albania’s appointment of an AI “minister,” governments are moving from experimentation to institutionalization. This week’s roundup captures that shi

Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 17d

Now White House has issued a clarification via social media to quell the chaos resulting from the shoddy drafting and say this applies to new applicants.

"2.) Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter."

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 18d

Much of the press is incorrectly reporting the H1B story based on the press release, which says entry will be restricted for new applications. But the proclamation itself actually restricts entry of EXISTING H1B holders, sowing yet more chaos: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION The H-1B nonimmigrant visa program was created to bring temporary workers into the United

www.whitehouse.gov

Civio pulls back the curtain on public algorithms: Spain’s Supreme Court orders the Government to release BOSCO’s source code

Reposted by Beth Simone Noveck

Civio @civio.es · 19d

Thank you for spreading the word about this victory in the path to algorithmic transparency. The text is now available in English, thanks to the contribution of @lucaslaursen.bsky.social.

civio.es/novedades/20...

The precedent-setting ruling states that public decision-making algorithms require transparency and oversight. The court rejects claims that national security or intellectual property can absolutely l...

civio.es

Civio abre camino en la transparencia algorítmica: el Supremo condena al Gobierno a entregar el código fuente de BOSCO | Beth Simone Noveck

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 20d

A new “right to algorithmic transparency” in Europe? Spain’s Supreme Court has ruled that the government must pry open the black box and give the public and @civio.es access to source code for a benefits decision-making tool. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/... via @jlmarti.bsky.social

A new “right to algorithmic transparency” in Europe? Spain’s Supreme Court Orders Government to Share Underlying Code for Social Bonus Application Courtesy of José Luis Martí.... Spain’s Supreme Cou...

www.linkedin.com

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Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 21d

🚨 New survey @elonuniversity.bsky.social: Americans overwhelmingly believe AI will diminish core human capacities by 2035.

4-to-1 margins say AI will hurt people's sense of purpose AND trust in shared values.

Read more on the Reboot Blog: rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/the-pub...

#AI #Democracy #Trust

The Public’s Verdict on AI and Human Capacity: What it Means for Democracy

A new national survey finds that Americans overwhelmingly believe AI will diminish key human capacities, like empathy, deep thinking, and personal agency, by 2035. Writing for the Reboot Democracy Blo...

From Interim to Institution: New Jersey’s Three-Pillar Strategy for Responsible AI

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Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 22d

Start, engage with users and evolve with real feedback.

Because policy is scaffolding, not the destination. Real measure is impact like using AI to help enroll 693,000 children in summer meals programs.

More @thegovlab.org Reboot Blog: rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/NJ-AI-2...

With its new 2025 AI policy, New Jersey has advanced from interim guidance that encouraged experimentation to a framework that enables safe, large-scale use. Building on two years of training and adop...

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Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 22d

Fast forward:

15,000+ state employees trained

Hundreds of thousands of prompts logged

A new 2025 guidance layering required training, guardrails for resident-facing systems, and secure tools like the NJ AI Assistant

AI isn’t just being tested anymore. It’s being institutionalized.

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 22d

I've got a short piece out about @stateofnewjersey.bsky.social new AI policy 2.0.

In 2023, NJ issued a temporary policy—just enough permission + guardrails so public servants could begin using AI in service of their work.

That early phase built trust, experience, and realism.

Work with what you have: how Vietnam is using AI as a way to encourage a learning culture among public servants

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 22d

Policy is scaffolding, not the end point. What matters is impact—like using AI to help enroll 693,000 children in summer meal programs.

More here: rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/nj-resp...

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 26d

Starting shortly....join me and @danielleallen.bsky.social as we discuss using AI to accelerate democratic engagement: innovate-us.org/workshop-ser...

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 27d

💡 Giulio Quaggiotto for Reboot: Vietnam's Academy used ChatGPT templates to create 136 case studies, transforming civil servants without costly infrastructure. The real AI revolution? Democratizing global knowledge with simple tools.

rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/work-wi...

While the West races toward artificial general intelligence, Vietnam is charting a different path with “Applied AI,” using tools like ChatGPT to overcome language barriers, limited budgets, and instit...

Research Radar: RAND on AI-Enabled Policymaking: Opportunities, Obstacles, and the Road Ahead

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · 28d

Research Radar 🔍

For Reboot Democracy, Dane Gambrell analyzes recent report on @rand.org, @stimsoncenter.bsky.social workshop exploring AI and policymaking.

rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/putting...

A report on a recent workshop cohosted by RAND, the Stimson Center, and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change explores how AI can support more effective policymaking. AI shows promise for automat...

Beth Simone Noveck @bethnoveck.bsky.social · Sep 8

🚀 Launching Reboot Democracy Workshops! Learn how AI makes public engagement actually work. No more "democracy theatre" - real tools for real impact.

An @innovateus.bsky.social series w/ Danielle Allen and @harvardash.bsky.social, @thegovlab.org

Starts Sept 11! rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/reboot2...