Testing Red-Team Safeguards Against AI Persuasion in Democratic Governance

As AI becomes a primary information source for governance, current safeguards like human peer review are often too slow to be effective. This project addresses the risk of advanced AI systems manipulating democratic deliberation through persuasive bias. Through large-scale survey experiments and deliberative mini-publics, the team will test the efficacy of “red-team” AI safeguards designed to detect and neutralize biased information in real-time. By providing empirical evidence on AI’s persuasive power, the research offers actionable guidance for Canadian policy, ensuring democratic decision-making remains resilient against manipulation in high-stakes public consultations.