• MARIO HERNÁNDEZ RAMOS marioh13@ucm.es
• MARÍA GARROTE DE MARCOS magarrot@ucm.es
• RAFAEL BUSTOS GISBERT rafabust@ucm.es

This workshop proposes to reflect on and analyze how artificial intelligence (AI) can be, is, and has been used as a tool for improving the rule of law and democracy in constitutional systems.

We assume that technological advances are irreversible and contribute to better living conditions for everyone. The risks posed by AI to the rule of law are undeniable, but in this workshop we aim to focus on exploring ways for the development of AI to benefit (and not endanger) fundamental constitutional principles. To this end, the goal is to address both the theoretical and practical aspects of the advantages of AI technology in the rule of law, democracy, and fundamental rights.

Two main lines of analysis are proposed. First, to present AI applications already in operation in the public sector of each country, or tools designed to improve the efficiency of state powers and the quality of democracy and its functioning, focusing on basic elements such as political participation rights in general (especially political freedom of expression), voting rights in both dimensions, electoral processes (with particular attention to electoral campaigns), electoral litigation, citizen influence on representatives’ decisions, and accountability before voters. Second, to evaluate the current validity of legal categories and adapt their content to new algorithmic realities, formulating proposals for reinterpretation, transformation, or new concepts, and identifying the criteria and limits that AI developments must follow in a democratic state governed by the rule of law.