AI and Democracy: Ambassador Audrey Tang on Plurality in Practice, Transparency and Collective Intelligence
Accelerating AI EthicsShow Notes
Episode summary What if AI could strengthen democracy instead of destabilising it? In this opening episode, Ambassador Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s first Digital Minister and a Fellow of the Accelerator Fellowship Programme at the Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford, shares a bold and hopeful vision of digital innovation shaped by the values of openness, accountability, and civic empowerment. In conversation with Dr Caroline Green, Tang reflects on her own journey from civic hacker to government minister, the role of “radical transparency” in building trust, and how plurality can serve as a design principle for both technology and democracy. Ambassador Audrey Tang Fellow of the Accelerator Fellowship Programme at the Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford. Digital Minister (Taiwan, 2016–2024), Civic Technologist, and 2024–25 Fellow at Oxford’s AI Ethics Accelerator. Ambassador Tang is internationally recognised for pioneering work in open government, participatory democracy, and civic technology, including the development of thevTaiwan platform and the global project Plurality. Topics covered What “plurality” means in a technological context Using AI to support collective intelligence, not replace it The practice of radical transparency in digital governance How pro-social media and open-source approaches build trust Reflections on moving from civic activism into public office New directions for her Fellowship project at Oxford
Resources and links Short film: Good Enough Ancestors Ambassador Tang's project Ambassador Tang_AFP Fellow
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
More from Accelerating AI Ethics
This conversation was recorded in March this year in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala, India, during a trip by Dr Caroline Emmer de Albuquerque Green https://www.oxford-aiethics.ox.ac.uk/caroline-emmer-de-albuquerque-green , Director of Research at the Institute for Ethics in AI, together with Ambassador Audrey Tang https://afp.oxford-aiethics.ox.ac.uk/people/ambassador-audrey-tang and their collaborator Tenzin Yangtso, to learn from the Tibetan Buddhist community about their approach to the ethics of AI.
In this podcast, Communications and Liaison Manager of the Institute for Ethics in AI, Cristina Bratu, speaks with Dr Caroline Emmer de Albuquerque Green, Director of Research at the Institute for Ethics in AI, about her trip to India: exploring Buddhist ethics, Civic AI and compassion, meeting the Dalai Lama and how human values can guide ethical AI in a changing world.
In this episode Dr Caroline Green from Oxford's Institute for Ethics in AI speaks to Professor Alondra Nelson about the social foundations of AI governance and thick alignment, a broader approach to aligning artificial intelligence with human values. Professor Nelson reflects on her interdisciplinary career bridging science, social research, and policy, including her role in developing the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. She discusses how public engagement, trust, and clear communication are essential for ensuring that AI systems serve society rather than deepen existing inequalities. Together, they explore the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in AI ethics and governance, highlighting the risks of deploying powerful technologies without meaningful public dialogue. The conversation examines emerging challenges such as emotional relationships with AI chatbots, the role of governments and companies in shaping responsible innovation, and how inclusive policymaking can help align AI development with democratic values and the public good.
In this episode Dr Caroline Green from Oxford's Institute for Ethics in AI speaks to Dr Joy Buolamwini and Angela Oduor Lungati, Executive Director of Ushahidi, about building ethical, community-centered AI from Africa and beyond. Angela discusses her work leading Ushahidi, an open-source platform used globally to crowdsource crisis and human rights data, and how community-generated knowledge can shape more inclusive and context-aware AI systems.Joy reflects on her journey from uncovering bias in facial recognition systems to founding the Algorithmic Justice League, sharing how her research - featured in the documentary Coded Bias - exposes the social harms embedded in AI. Together, they explore women’s leadership in technology, the importance of grassroots voices in shaping AI governance, and the need for data justice, language representation, and accountability across the AI supply chain. The conversation highlights Kenya’s national AI strategy, Africa’s growing role as a builder - not just consumer - of AI, and the environmental and labour impacts of AI infrastructure. The episode closes with reflections on creativity, humanity, and the role of art in guiding responsible innovation.
In this episode of Accelerating AI Ethics from Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI, Dr Caroline Green speaks with Professor Ignacio Cofone, Professor of AI Law and Regulation, about his book The Privacy Fallacy: Harm and Power in the Information Economy. They discuss why today’s consent-based privacy laws are ill-suited to an AI-driven data economy, how data harms are often relational rather than individual, and why focusing on data use - rather than data collection - is key to preventing exploitation while enabling innovation. The conversation also explores power dynamics in the tech ecosystem, harm liability, and what meaningful reform of data protection law could look like in the age of AI.