# AI and the Future of Digital Public Squares

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.09988 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.09988/

## Key facts

- Cited by 6 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 33 of its 122 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 13 Dec 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 33)

- [Social Simulacra: Creating Populated Prototypes for Social Computing Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.04024/) (2022)
- [Fine-tuning language models to find agreement among humans with diverse preferences](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.15006/) (2022)
- [Collective Constitutional AI: Aligning a Language Model with Public Input](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.07814/) (2024)
- [PyTorch-BigGraph: A Large-scale Graph Embedding System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.12287/) (2019)
- [STaR-GATE: Teaching Language Models to Ask Clarifying Questions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.19154/) (2024)
- ["What We Can't Measure, We Can't Understand": Challenges to Demographic Data Procurement in the Pursuit of Fairness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.02282/) (2020)
- [Opportunities and Risks of LLMs for Scalable Deliberation with Polis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.11932/) (2023)
- [The illusion of artificial inclusion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.08572/) (2024)
- [Content Moderation by LLM: From Accuracy to Legitimacy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.03219/) (2024)
- [Birdwatch: Crowd Wisdom and Bridging Algorithms can Inform Understanding and Reduce the Spread of Misinformation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.15723/) (2022)
- [Generative AI Misuse: A Taxonomy of Tactics and Insights from Real-World Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.13843/) (2024)
- [Bridging Systems: Open Problems for Countering Destructive Divisiveness across Ranking, Recommenders, and Governance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.09976/) (2023)
- [Democratic Policy Development using Collective Dialogues and AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.02242/) (2023)
- [Personhood credentials: Artificial intelligence and the value of privacy-preserving tools to distinguish who is real online](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.07892/) (2024)
- [PolicyKit: Building Governance in Online Communities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.04236/) (2020)
- [Generative Ghosts: Anticipating Benefits and Risks of AI Afterlives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.01662/) (2024)
- ['Generative CI' through Collective Response Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.00672/) (2023)
- [Breaking reCAPTCHAv2](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.08831/) (2024)
- [Designing Recommender Systems to Depolarize](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.04953/) (2021)
- [The Wisdom of Polarized Crowds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.06414/) (2017)
- [Classifying Constructive Comments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.05476/) (2020)
- [Designing Word Filter Tools for Creator-led Comment Moderation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.08818/) (2022)
- [RECAST: Enabling User Recourse and Interpretability of Toxicity Detection Models with Interactive Visualization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.04427/) (2021)
- [What We Know About Using Non-Engagement Signals in Content Ranking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.06831/) (2024)
- [How will advanced AI systems impact democracy?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.06729/) (2024)
- [Decentralizing Platform Power: A Design Space of Multi-level Governance in Online Social Platforms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.12529/) (2021)
- [All That's Happening behind the Scenes: Putting the Spotlight on Volunteer Moderator Labor in Reddit](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.14529/) (2022)
- [Reranking Social Media Feeds: A Practical Guide for Field Experiments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.19571/) (2024)
- [Re-Ranking News Comments by Constructiveness and Curiosity Significantly Increases Perceived Respect, Trustworthiness, and Interest](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.05429/) (2024)
- [AppealMod: Inducing Friction to Reduce Moderator Workload of Handling User Appeals](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.07163/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [Resource Rational Contractualism Should Guide AI Alignment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.17434/) (2025)
- [Evaluating Large Language Models for Detecting Antisemitism](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.18293/) (2025)
- [Agentic Inequality](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.16853/) (2025)
- [PolicyPad: Collaborative Prototyping of LLM Policies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.19680/) (2025)
- [Can AI mediation improve democratic deliberation?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.05904/) (2026)
- [Visualizing "We the People": Bridging the Perception Gap through Pluralistic Data Storytelling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.24635/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Two substantial technological advances have reshaped the public square in recent decades: first with the advent of the internet and second with the recent introduction of large language models (LLMs). LLMs offer opportunities for a paradigm shift towards more decentralized, participatory online spaces that can be used to facilitate deliberative dialogues at scale, but also create risks of exacerbating societal schisms. Here, we explore four applications of LLMs to improve digital public squares: collective dialogue systems, bridging systems, community moderation, and proof-of-humanity systems. Building on the input from over 70 civil society experts and technologists, we argue that LLMs both afford promising opportunities to shift the paradigm for conversations at scale and pose distinct risks for digital public squares. We lay out an agenda for future research and investments in AI that will strengthen digital public squares and safeguard against potential misuses of AI.