# A New Heuristic Algorithm for Balanced Deliberation Groups

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.21451 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.21451/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 28 Oct 2024.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Embeddings for Preferences, Not Semantics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.08360/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We here present an improved version of the Sortition Foundation's GROUPSELECT software package, which aims to repeatedly allocate participants of a deliberative process to discussion groups in a way that balances demographics in each group and maximises distinct meetings over time. Our result, DREAM, significantly outperforms the prior algorithmic approach LEGACY. We also add functionalities to the GROUPSELECT software to help the end user. The GROUPOPT algorithm utilises random shuffles and Pareto swaps to find a locally optimal solution that maximises demographic balance and minimises the number of pairwise previous meetings, with the relative importance of these two metrics defined by the user.