Regulating Artificial Intelligence in Democratic Societies: Legal Challenges and Ethical Imperatives for Peace, Development, and Integration

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping democratic institutions, offering significant opportunities for innovation while also raising serious legal and ethical concerns. Its use in areas like surveillance, predictive policing, hiring, and healthcare challenges core democratic principles such as transparency, accountability, and the protection of fundamental rights. This paper examines how democratic societies can govern AI effectively, ensuring that its development aligns with civil liberties and human dignity. Existing legal frameworks, often outdated, struggle to address the complexities of AI, including issues of bias, discrimination, and the lack of human oversight in automated decision-making. While regulations like the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provide some safeguards, they fall short in addressing the full scope of AI’s impact. The proposed EU AI Act represents progress toward a harmonized, risk-based approach but raises questions about enforcement and adaptability. Ethical governance must go beyond voluntary guidelines. Binding legal standards are needed to enforce principles such as fairness, explainability, and human-centric design. Furthermore, international cooperation is essential to prevent regulatory gaps and ensure consistent protections across borders. Participatory oversight is also vital. Public trust depends on involving a broad range of stakeholders—citizens, experts, developers, and civil society—in shaping AI policy. Legal systems must anticipate AI’s broader effects, such as job displacement and social inequality, through proactive measures like retraining programs and social protections. Ultimately, AI governance must safeguard democratic values. Transparent, accountable, and inclusive legal frameworks are essential to ensure that AI strengthens—rather than undermines—freedom, justice, and human dignity.

Received: 20 April 2025 / Accepted: 17 June 2025 / Published: 25 June 2025