ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS A FACTOR OF INFLUENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRONIC DEMOCRACY: THE LEGISLATIVE EXPERIENCE OF THE EU AND UKRAINE

Abstract

Introduction. The article explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the development of e-democracy, focusing on both its benefits and risks associated with its use. The purpose of this work is to study the concepts of electronic democracy and artificial intelligence, EU legislation and international experience of AI regulation as a factor in the modernization of the national legislation of Ukraine in matters of the development of electronic democracy and the promotion of the realization of the constitutional rights of citizens.

Summary of the main results of the study. AI facilitates the analysis of large volumes of data, improves decision-making processes and promotes the active involvement of citizens in public affairs.

AI can have a positive impact on e-democracy. First, in matters of improving the decision-making process of state authorities and local governments, because AI algorithms can analyze large volumes of information to identify trends and patterns that may not be obvious to humans. This can help in making more informed political decisions that reflect the needs and wishes of citizens, both at the level of the state as a whole and at the level of individual communities. Secondly, AI affects the improvement of access to information, because AI can help in structuring and analyzing the large amount of data used by the government and public organizations, which can facilitate citizens' access to relevant information and contribute to more effective involvement of citizens in public affairs. Third, AI can facilitate direct citizen engagement, as AI can help improve the performance of various e-democracy tools, allowing citizens to more easily interact with government and local governments. It can also help governments collect real-time feedback.

At the same time, despite the significant potential of using AI in democratic processes, the use of this tool is accompanied by a number of challenges, including the violation of the right to privacy, data security problems, algorithmic bias, and ethical dilemmas that can affect the will of citizens and their autonomy.

In Ukrainian legislation, the issue of AI, as well as its interaction with the tools of electronic democracy, are currently at the stage of development by state authorities. In November 2023, during the Artificial Intelligence Security Summit held in Great Britain, Ukraine signed the "Bretton Woods Declaration" and thus joined international cooperation on AI security research. Currently, Ukraine is at the stage of implementing both international and European legislative experience as a candidate country for joining the EU.

Conclusions. Effective use of AI in the context of e-democracy requires clear legislative regulation in the national legislation of Ukraine. In addition, all democratic processes that may relate to e-democracy issues with the use of AI require attention to the principles of rule of law and non-discrimination. Recommendations on the protection of human rights and the right to privacy in the development and implementation of artificial intelligence technologies, which have already been developed in Ukraine, are one of the first steps in the settlement of this issue. When developing your own model of normative and legal regulation of AI, it is worth taking into account the global, primarily European, legislative experience. So, for example, the EU's experience in regulating AI can serve as an example for the modernization of the national legislation of Ukraine in this field, with the aim of supporting and protecting the functioning of electronic democracy, in particular in matters of classifying the AI ​​system as high-risk in terms of its use specifically for the implementation of democratic processes.