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New book: Rewiring Democracy

Announcing the forthcoming book Rewiring Democracy written with Bruce Schneier

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Book cover for Rewiring Democracy
Book cover for Rewiring Democracy
By Nathan E. Sanders
6 min read
New book: Rewiring Democracy

Bruce Schneier and I have written a new book, Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship, published by MIT Press in October, 2025 (ISBN: 9780262049948).

Book information

Rewiring Democracy book cover

An informative and wide-ranging exploration of how AI will alter every facet of democracy, and how to harness the technology to distribute rather than concentrate power.

AI will change democracy. The only question is how.

AI’s impact on democracy will go far beyond headline-grabbing political deepfakes and automated misinformation. Everywhere it will be used, it will create risks and opportunities to shake up long-standing power structures.

In this highly readable and advisedly optimistic book, Rewiring Democracy, security technologist Bruce Schneier and data scientist Nathan Sanders cut through the AI hype and examine the myriad ways that AI could dramatically change every aspect of democracy— for both good and ill.

The authors describe how the sophistication of AI will fulfill demands from lawmakers for more complex legislation, reducing deference to the executive and altering the balance of power between legislators and administrators. They show how the scalability of AI is enabling civil servants to enforce regulations on corporations used to skirting the rules, which will reshape private-sector behavior. They also explain how both lawyers and judges will leverage the speed of AI, upending how we think about law enforcement, litigation, and dispute resolution.

Whether these outcomes enhance or degrade democracy depends on how we shape the development and use of AI technologies. Powerful players in private industry and public life are already using AI to increase their influence, and AIs built by corporations to drive shareholder value aren’t designed to deliver the fairness and trust necessary to enhance democratic governance. But, steered in the right direction, the broad scope of an AI-augmented democracy would help citizens build consensus, express their voice, and organize against anti-democratic policies.

Democracy is facing new challenges worldwide, and AI will be a part of that. It can inform, empower, and engage citizens. It can also disinform, disempower, and disengage them. The choice is up to us. Schneier and Sanders blaze the path forward, showing us how we can use it to make an AI-infused democracy stronger and more participatory.

Authors

Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist and the New York Times bestselling author of 14 books, including A Hacker’s Mind. He is Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School, a board member of EFF, and Chief of Security Architecture at Inrupt, Inc.

Nathan E. Sanders is a data scientist focused on making policymaking more participatory. His research spans machine learning, astrophysics, public health, environmental justice, and more. He has served in fellowships at the Massachusetts legislature and the Berkman-Klein Center at Harvard University.

Purchase Links

Rewiring Democracy can be purchased at all major booksellers including:

Publicity

Excerpts

Interviews

Speaking events

Reviews

  • Ben Shneiderman, Human-Centered AI Newsletter: “Overall, a valuable, wise, and balanced contribution in non-technical terms that will be welcomed by the five communities they address, and I hope the researchers and developers who could produce the happier outcomes the authors seek.”
  • Gideon Lichfield, Bloomberg: “A dizzying list of ways in which AI could be used in politics, lawmaking, government operations and the judiciary, as well as how each of these uses could go wrong. . . . If even a fairly small fraction of the applications these authors contemplate come to pass, we’ll be looking at a world even more dramatically unpredictable than today’s.”
  • Virginia Eubanks, Nature: “Structured clearly enough, even for readers who know little about AI, the book is rich with concrete examples and absorbing speculation. Schneier and Sanders propose that every aspect of democratic governance — such as negotiating procurement contracts, drafting legal briefs, producing local news or facilitating conversation across political divides — could be enhanced by the thoughtful application of AI developed under public control for public benefit.”
  • The National CIO Review: “With a systems-level view, Rewiring Democracy examines how technology and political power intersect. It explains the practical effects of AI in governance and asks how these tools can be aligned with democratic values and accountability.”
  • Malcom Murray, 3 Quarks Daily: “Overall, a book worth reading. It helps the reader get up to speed on all the interesting use cases of AI in societal institutions and provides a foundation for the many ways AI could affect democracy.”
  • Ben Rothke, RSA Conference: “When it comes to AI, the hype and misunderstanding are overwhelming. The authors cut through all that and provide the reader with a pragmatic, honest look at how AI has impacted and will continue to impact democracy and the democratic process. If you want to understand AI’s true power to strengthen and empower democracy, this is a fascinating and essential read.”
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