Gen Z, Democracy, and the Rise of AI

On Friday, Alina Schütze took part in the interactive workshop “Agents of Change: Gen Z, Democracy, and the Rise of AI”, alongside Samuel Brielmaier (Brand New Bundestag), Kevin Tiedgen (Jung von Matt Neckar), and Marta Bieńkiewicz (Cooperative AI). The session explored the complex and often contradictory relationship between Gen Z and AI: a generation that is highly exposed to these technologies, yet largely excluded from shaping how they are governed and used.

Insights from Make.org’s participation projects were shared, highlighting that 85% of young participants in our Canadian project Gen(Z)AI identify AI’s impact on mental health as a top or medium concern. The discussion pointed to a growing “resource mismatch”: while young people are fluent in digital tools, access to decision-making power and meaningful participation remains concentrated elsewhere. Speakers also warned against the risks of “post-realism,” misinformation, and platform-driven engagement, while emphasising the need to rethink AI literacy as a democratic skill, not just a technical one.

Crucially, the session stressed that strengthening democracy means talking with young people, not just about them. Alina underlined the importance of creating accessible, engaging, and genuinely inclusive participation formats, especially online and in rural areas, where young people can co-create policy with decision-makers, rather than being passive recipients of political decisions.

The Future of Political Tech

On Saturday, Alicia Combaz joined the panel “The Future of Political Tech”, alongside Leah Bae (Higher Ground Labs), Patrick Frank (Lunda), and Jonathan Tanner (Rootcause), and moderated by Josef Lentsch. The conversation focused on how civic tech can move beyond scale and efficiency to rebuild trust, foster deliberation, and enable meaningful citizen participation in an era shaped by AI. Alicia highlighted the responsibility of political tech actors to design tools that serve the common good and reinforce democratic agency, and gave the example of the Canadian Gen(Z)AI Youth Assembly, which has enabled civic-tech actors to achieve large‑scale sensemaking, translation, moderation and accessibility of complex processes. 

During the summit, Make.org also participated in the “European Civic Technology and Citizen Participation in the Age of AI”, a workshop organised by Bertelsmann and Sitra, where participants discussed how civic technology can enhance citizen participation in Europe in the current context of declining trust, polarisation, and AI shaped political communication. Participants explored what citizens require for participation to be accessible, safe and easy, and what civic tech providers need in order to deliver trustworthy and scalable solutions. 

Across both sessions, a shared message emerged: regulation alone will not be enough. Democratic actors must actively experiment with responsible, participatory technologies now, shaping how AI is used in politics before harmful dynamics become entrenched.

The Political Tech Summit was a valuable moment to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and reaffirm Make.org’s commitment to inclusive, constructive, and future-oriented democratic participation. We’re proud to have been part of the conversation and we’re excited to keep pushing it forward.