Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s former Minister of Digital Affairs, envisions artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool to foster empathy, understanding, and collaboration, thereby strengthening democratic processes and societal cohesion. She advocates for the development of “prosocial platforms” that prioritize constructive discourse over division. Tang emphasizes the need to design AI systems with prosocial values at their core, suggesting that recommendation algorithms should guide users toward “bridging content” that reveals common ground among diverse communities. This approach aims to transform digital spaces into inclusive public squares that enhance social unity. 

Tang also promotes participatory methods in AI development and governance. She highlights the importance of including a wide range of voices to ensure AI systems reflect the priorities and values of the societies they serve. Tools like Polis, which visualize stances and reveal hidden areas of consensus, exemplify how collective input can be integrated into AI systems to promote social cohesion. 

Through initiatives like Alignment Assemblies, Tang has demonstrated how AI can be used to engage citizens in discussions about AI regulation and ethics, ensuring that AI development aligns with democratic values. These online forums enable ordinary citizens to weigh in on various issues, fostering a more inclusive approach to AI governance. 

By embracing these inclusive, democratic principles, Tang believes AI can help co-create digital public squares that foster social cohesion rather than erode it. Embedding collective input at every stage—from dataset construction to governance policy setting—ensures that AI systems genuinely align with a spectrum of human values and serve as catalysts for common understanding.