The Youth Cafe supports young people to ensure their voices are heard and to challenge the growing threats to democracy and civic space around Africa - from raising awareness of the need for more youth to political participation. Through this session we further explored the critical role of digital technologies, including AI, in shaping the trajectory of democracy. We delved into the Future of Democracy in the Digital Age: Navigating Opportunities and Risks for Youth Political Participation.
The “Tech Masterclass: Digital Tools in Democracy” with youth participation in elections is a focus and priority. The lead shared experiences and practical insights, delving into how digital tools can advance youth participation in elections. Following the presentations of their local contexts, members engaged in a discussion to explore democracy’s digital frontier further with high-level representatives of governments, the technology sector, and the audience.
Through this session, we collectively brainstormed how we might align technological development with democratic values. A main topic of discussion was ways in which emerging technologies might be used against democratic values and collectively come up with norms and governance methods to align those technologies. This session contributed to the workshop’s theme by asking our participants to envision how the current technologies would impact the democracy of future generations. We aimed to make technologies future-proof with democracy.