The latest AI and Digital Participation tools, learnings, and more are here!

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Dear friends,

With so many threats to democracy, we know that you need extra support. People Powered is here to help. This month we’re sharing: 

  • New resources, to select the right digital participation tools, and to understand how to use AI effectively 

  • Inspiring stories of how participatory democracy is bringing clean water to Kenya, enabling national bottom-up policymaking in Brazil, and helping communities manage fisheries in sustainable ways

  • Funding opportunities, good reads, and updates from our members around the world!

Here are the best digital participation tools of 2025

We unveil the 2025 Digital Participation Tool Ratings! This comprehensive guide evaluates 30 leading tools designed to enhance digital participation worldwide. 💻 Whether you're running programs related to participatory budgeting, participatory policymaking, or more, these ratings are tailored to help you find the perfect tool for your needs. Now with enhanced evaluations, in-depth analyses, and AI integration insights.

New guidance on how to use AI for digital democracy (and navigate threats)

We hosted a global conversation on AI for Digital Democracy, bringing together experts worldwide to explore the opportunities, challenges, and ethical dilemmas AI presents in participatory governance and citizen participation!

Here’s a sneak peek at what we learned:

⚔️ AI as a double-edged sword: While AI can enhance multilingual participation and streamline public input, it also risks amplifying misinformation and reinforcing biases.

👐🏽 Ethical considerations: Who controls AI in democracy? Our speakers emphasized the need for citizen oversight and transparent, open-source models.

🚀 Practical solutions: We covered some of the best AI-driven digital participation tools for your next digital democracy program. Want to hear more?

Learn how we brought transparency to fisheries, through participation!

In Seychelles & Madagascar, People Powered partnered with the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) and Participation Factory to bring participatory democracy into fisheries governance. Read more about what we achieved and our recommendations to ensure that fisheries policies work for everyone—from government leaders to local fishers.

Bridging the Digital Divide: Lessons from Brazil’s national participatory planning process

Governments and civil society face rising distrust and disengagement. But what if we could scale digital participation to reach millions? In Brazil, the platform Brasil Participativo is doing just that—1.5 million people have helped shape national policy. Read our latest analysis of its successes, gaps, and 9 recommendations to make digital democracy more inclusive.

Participatory methods build trust & deliver clean water in Kenya

How can mentorship turn ideas into impact? In Kenya, it helped bring clean water to 44,000 people. In Laikipia County, residents had waited 12 years for promised water access—but government commitments never turned into action. That changed when the Pathways Policy Institute (PPI) got support through People Powered’s Rising Stars Mentorship Program. Read how mentorship on participation made democracy work and win clean water flow.

  • Accountability Lab has launched a tracker on the impacts of the US global aid funding freeze. 

  • Marjan Ehsassi was interviewed by Deliberative Democracy Digest about her new book Activated Citizenship: The Transformative Power of Citizens’ Assemblies - read the interview here!

  • Shared Future CIC ran a citizens’ jury with Birmingham Museums Trust and DemocracyNext to shape the future of Birmingham’s museums in the UK. 

  • Marr Nyang, co-founder of Gambia Participates, was featured on Beyond Elections, where he discussed efforts to build a participatory democracy in Gambia after the fall of the Jammeh regime.

  • Alternatív Közösségek Egyesülete presented a Slovak board game developed to help teach people about participatory budgeting in Szentendre, Hungary to help them with their participation processes in schools.

  • Hans Asenbaum published an article in Politics Journal on five lessons for the design of democratic innovations through participatory, deliberative, agonistic, feminist and transformative perspectives.

  • Nicole Curato and Melisa Ross, alongside Lucy Parry, published an article exploring the use of citizens’ assemblies in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

This month, our Resource Center is showcasing research and tools on leveraging AI for digital democracy!:

Democracy & Artificial Intelligence: Current practices and visions into the future: In this podcast, the speakers delve into the role of artificial intelligence in deliberative democracy and the implications of its use in practice.

Exploring public participation in commercial AI labs: this report from the Ada Lovelace Institute discusses the use of public participation methodologies in the development and governance of commercial artificial intelligence.

Effective public engagement ethics of artificial intelligence: In this resource, Involve reports on key findings from roundtable discussions with experts in the field to consider practical recommendations and approaches to engage the public in the governance of artificial intelligence.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence into citizens’ assemblies: This article explores the use of artificial intelligence in citizens’ assemblies, drawing on the literature and the Global Assembly to evaluate its benefits and limitations.

  • Use the best digital participation tools of 2025

  • Learn the latest insights on using AI for Digital Democracy

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