Smartdemocracy
artificial intelligence plus cognitive democracy as a radical participatory alternative
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46661/revintpensampolit.12880Keywords:
SmartDemocracy, cognitive democracy, epistocracy, artificial intelligence, legitimacy, authority, constitutional design, XAI, digital rightsAbstract
Liberal democracies face legitimacy crisis evidenced by epistemic, functional, and procedural deficits. This article proposes SmartDemocracy or Intelligent Cognitive Democracy (ICD), a constitutional model reconciling political equality, epistemic competence, and functional efficacy through tricameral architecture: Popular Chamber (inalienable universal suffrage), Cognitive Chamber (temporary credentials via merit/affectation/experience), and Synthetic Chamber (Explainable Artificial Intelligence XAI) under citizen oversight. The Algorithmic Tricephalous Executive implements Programmable Execution Pacts with verifiable indicators and automatic sunset clauses. Five absolute prohibitions prevent technocratic degeneration. ICD aims to surpass restrictive epistocracy and traditional representative democracy, institutionalizing knowledge under permanent democratic control through mandatory AI explainability and adversarial audits.
Downloads
References
Bell, D. A. (2015). The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of Democracy. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400865505 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400865505
Boucher, S., Hallin, A., Paulson, G., Dukát, M., Rask, M., & Shin, B. (2020). Collective intelligence, democracy, and governance: Handbook. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Brennan, J. (2016). Against democracy. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400882939 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400882939
Buhmann, A., & Fieseler, C. (2023). Deep learning meets deep democracy: Deliberative governance and responsible innovation in artificial intelligence. Business Ethics Quarterly, 33(1), 146-179. https://doi.org/10.1017/beq.2021.42 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/beq.2021.42
Canale, D. (2022). Cuando los expertos crean derecho: deferencia, opacidad y legitimidad. Discusiones, 30, 37-60. https://doi.org/10.52292/j.dsc.2023.3404 DOI: https://doi.org/10.52292/j.dsc.2023.3404
Caplan, B. (2007). The myth of the rational voter: Why democracies choose bad policies. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400828821 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400828821
Centola, D. (2022). Network science of collective intelligence. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 26(11), 923-941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2022.08.009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2022.08.009
Dorf, M. C., & Sabel, C. F. (1998). A constitution of democratic experimentalism. Columbia Law Review, 98(2), 267-473. https://doi.org/10.2307/1123411 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1123411
Downs, A. (1957). An economic theory of democracy. Harper & Row.
Duberry, J. (2022). Artificial intelligence and democracy: Risks and promises of AI-mediated citizen-government relations. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788977319 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788977319
Dworkin, R. (1977). Taking rights seriously. Harvard University Press.
Dworkin, R. (1986). Law's empire. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Estlund, D. (2008). Democratic authority: A philosophical framework. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400831548 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400831548
Fishkin, J. S. (2009). When the people speak: Deliberative democracy and public consultation. Oxford University Press.
Floridi, L. (2021). The European legislation on AI: A brief analysis of its philosophical approach. Philosophy & Technology, 34(2), 215-222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-021-00460-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-021-00460-9
Fung, A., & Wright, E. O. (2001). Deepening democracy: Innovations in empowered participatory governance. Politics & Society, 29(1), 5-41. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032329201029001002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0032329201029001002
Gilens, M., & Page, B. I. (2014). Testing theories of American politics: Elites, interest groups, and average citizens. Perspectives on Politics, 12(3), 564-581. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592714001595 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592714001595
Habermas, J. (1996). Between facts and norms: Contributions to a discourse theory of law and democracy. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/1564.001.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/1564.001.0001
Hildebrandt, M. (2015). Smart technologies and the end(s) of law: Novel entanglements of law and technology. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781849808774 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781849808774.00016
Hsiao, Y.-T., Lin, S.-Y., Tang, A., Narayanan, D., & Sarahe, C. (2018). vTaiwan: An empirical study of open consultation process in Taiwan. SocArXiv. https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/xyhft_v1 https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/xyhft DOI: https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/xyhft
Jefferson, T. (1982). Notes on the State of Virginia (W. Peden, Ed.). University of North Carolina Press. (Obra original publicada en 1785).
Jefferson, T. (1984). First inaugural address. In M. D. Peterson (Ed.), Thomas Jefferson: Writings (pp. 492-496). Library of America. (Original work published 1801).
Kant, I. (1996). An answer to the question: What is enlightenment? En M. J. Gregor (Ed. y Trad.), Practical philosophy (pp. 15-22). Cambridge University Press. (Obra original publicada en 1784).
King, L. A. (2003). Deliberation, legitimacy, and multilateral democracy. Governance, 16(1), 23-50. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0491.t01-1-00203 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0491.t01-1-00203
Laclau, E., & Mouffe, C. (1985). Hegemony and socialist strategy: Towards a radical democratic politics. London: Verso.
Laclau, E., & Mouffe, C. (2001). Hegemony and socialist strategy: Towards a radical democratic politics (2nd ed.). Verso.
Lafont, C. (2015). Deliberation, participation, and democratic legitimacy: Should deliberative mini-publics shape public policy? Journal of Political Philosophy, 23(1), 40-63. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopp.12031 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jopp.12031
Lafont, C. (2020). Democracy without shortcuts: A participatory conception of deliberative democracy. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198848189.001.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198848189.001.0001
Lalley, S. P., & Weyl, E. G. (2018). Quadratic Voting: How Mechanism Design Can Radicalize Democracy. AEA Papers and Proceedings, 108, 33-37. https://doi.org/10.1257/pandp.20181002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/pandp.20181002
Landemore, H. (2013). Democratic reason: Politics, collective intelligence, and the rule of the many. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.23943/princeton/9780691155654.001.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.23943/princeton/9780691155654.001.0001
Landemore, H. (2020). Open democracy: Reinventing popular rule for the twenty-first century. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.23943/princeton/9780691181998.001.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.23943/princeton/9780691181998.001.0001
Landemore, H., & Brennan, J. (2020). Debating democracy: Do we need more or less? Oxford University Press.
Levitsky, S., & Ziblatt, D. (2018). How democracies die. Crown Publishers.
Liang, F., Das, V., Kostyuk, N., & Hussain, M. M. (2018). Constructing a Data-Driven Society: China's Social Credit System as a State Surveillance Infrastructure. Policy & Internet, 10(4), 415-453. https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.183 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.183
Lippert-Rasmussen, K. (2012). Estlund on epistocracy: A critique. Res Publica, 18, 241-258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11158-012-9179-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11158-012-9179-1
Madison, J. (2003). The Federalist No. 51. En A. Hamilton, J. Madison, & J. Jay, The Federalist Papers (pp. 318-322). Bantam Dell. (Obra original publicada en 1788).
Menendez-Blanco, M., & Bjørn, P. (2022). Designing digital participatory budgeting platforms: Urban biking activism in Madrid. Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 31(4), 567-601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-022-09443-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-022-09443-6
Mill, J. S. (1991). Considerations on representative government. Prometheus Books. (Obra original publicada en 1861).
Mill, J. S. (1991). Considerations on representative government. Prometheus Books. (Obra original publicada en 1861)
Mladenovi‐, I. (2020). Democracy, truth, and epistemic proceduralism. Croatian Journal of Philosophy, 20(59), 171-182.
Moats, D., Tang, A., & Chiu, J. (2024). Digital democracy in Taiwan: vTaiwan and the Pol.is platform. Technology in Society, 68, 101-115.
Montesquieu, C. L. (1995). Del espíritu de las leyes (M. Blázquez y P. de Vega, Trads.). Tecnos. (Obra original publicada en 1748).
Moraro, P. (2018). Against epistocracy. Social Theory and Practice, 44(2), 199-216. https://doi.org/10.5840/soctheorpract20185835 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/soctheorpract20185835
Morozov, E. (2013). To save everything, click here: The folly of technological solutionism. PublicAffairs.
Mouffe, C. (1993). The return of the political. Verso.
Mouffe, C. (2000). The democratic paradox. Verso.
Noveck, B. S. (2015). Smart citizens, smarter state: The technologies of expertise and the future of governing. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674915435 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674915435
O'Neil, C. (2016). Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. Crown Publishers.
Paine, T. (1986). Common sense. Penguin Books. (Original work published 1776)
Pasquale, F. (2015). The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money and Information. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674736061 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674736061
Platón. (1992). La República (C. Eggers Lan, Trad.). Gredos. (Obra original publicada ca. 380 a.C.).
Rask, M., & Shin, B. (2024). Integrating paths: Enhancing deliberative democracy through collective intelligence insights. Societies, 14(270), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14120270 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14120270
Rawls, J. (1996). Political liberalism (Expanded ed.). Columbia University Press. (Original work published 1993)
Rawls, J. (1999). A theory of justice (Rev. ed.). Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1971). https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674042605 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674042605
Raz, J. (1986). The morality of freedom. Oxford University Press.
Roberts, I. (2023). How can collective intelligence enhance democracy? An investigation towards human-centred design principles for empowering people engaging with deliberative technologies [Tesis de maestría, Northeastern University London].
Rosanvallon, P. (2008). Counter-democracy: Politics in an age of distrust (A. Goldhammer, Trans.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511755835 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511755835
Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford University Press.
Sunstein, C. R. (2019). Conformity: The power of social influences. New York University Press. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479896585.001.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479896585.001.0001
Tocqueville, A. de. (2000). Democracy in America (H. C. Mansfield & D. Winthrop, Trads.). University of Chicago Press. (Obra original publicada en 1835-1840). https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226924564.001.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226924564.001.0001
Veale, M., & Zuiderveen Borgesius, F. (2021). Demystifying the draft EU artificial intelligence act. Computer Law Review International, 22(4), 97-112. https://doi.org/10.9785/cri-2021-220402 DOI: https://doi.org/10.9785/cri-2021-220402
Waldron, J. (1999). Law and disagreement. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198262138.001.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198262138.001.0001
Warren, M. E., & Gastil, J. (2015). Can deliberative minipublics address the cognitive challenges of democratic citizenship? The Journal of Politics, 77(2), 562-574 https://doi.org/10.1086/680078 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/680078
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Carlos Aguilar Blanc
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Open access policy
Free and open access is allowed to any interested party to all the contents of the journal issues, free of charge, being able to print and transfer all the articles, with the only condition of specifying the source and authorship.
The journal: a) does not charge authorship costs for the processing of articles or for their submission, b) maintains copyright for authors without restrictions, c) facilitates authors to keep their publication rights without limitations.
The International Journal of Political Thought is an original work of the Laboratory of Political Ideas and Practices of the Pablo de Olavide University. All articles included in the Journal are original work of their respective authors. This Journal is freely offered to the scientific and academic community at no cost and releases the contents according to the license "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 CC BY-NC-SA" of the Creative Commons project available in the following url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode
If you wish to translate or compile any of the articles available here, please contact us at contacto
ISSN: 1885-589X 
Universidad Pablo de Olavide