(2026) Specker - AI Representatives in Citizen Participation (Conference)
Published conference paper on AI representatives.
Can AI Representatives be Legitimate? An Exploratory Study in Citizen Participation
Abstract
While citizen participation provides essential local expertise for effective policies, many initiatives struggle to move beyond consultation. Progressing toward policy implementation is often hindered by limited resources and technical complexity. This study investigates the potential of AI representatives to bridge this gap. Using exploratory interviews with an embedded vignette, we explore how 52 citizens and public servants in a German municipality perceive the legitimacy of AI agents acting as digital representatives during internal policy formulation meetings. Our findings provide empirical evidence that AI representatives are perceived as a potentially legitimate mechanism to ensure that citizens’ voices persist throughout the policy cycle. We identify the specific conditions and rationales under which AI representatives are seen as a viable compromise to shift participation from simple consultation toward a more structural role in governance.