How can we explore the adoption of AI technologies and its impact on authoritarian governance?

Speaker(s):

Chao-Yo Cheng, Birkbeck, University of London

Abstract:

This workshop examines AI technology adoption in subnational authoritarian governance. We will develop a conceptual framework integrating different empirical approaches to analyze how these technologies shape government responsiveness and regime stability. First, we will try to establish a typology of governance technologies, distinguishing their functional characteristics and political implications. This enables systematic analysis of how technological configurations affect state-society relations and authoritarian resilience. We will then address the comparative scope of this project, considering cross-national and/or within-country strategies. This segment aims to evaluate multiple approaches, such as focus groups, elite interviews, survey research, and computational analysis of policy documents, with attention to ethical and practical research challenges in non-democratic settings. Finally, we explore using large language models to generate synthetic data for studying public opinion and political participation in restrictive environments. Through discussion and exercises, participants critically assess analytical opportunities and risks of AI-generated data in authoritarian contexts .The output will be a theoretically informed and practically feasible research design. Format: The workshop can use multiple formats in each stage. The first two stages (conceptualization and typology; scope condition and comparative research) can use "Curiosity lab." The last two stages on methods and design can use "In the studio."