A public lecture by Professor Beth Simone Noveck from Northeastern University.

Democracy is in retreat in the United States and around the world, and our institutions are more fragile than ever. At this delicate moment, Professor Beth Noveck argues, artificial intelligence has burst onto the scene — a powerful technology with as much potential to bolster democracy as to harm it.

In her new book Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy (Yale University Press, 2026), Professor Noveck argues that we stand at an inflection point: will AI tighten the grip of power, or help rebuild public institutions that listen more closely, decide more wisely, and act more effectively?

Professor Noveck offers a bold, practical playbook for tipping the balance in favour of democracy — a framework for governing AI, and for governing with it — for technologists, public servants, researchers, and civic leaders alike.

About the Author:

Beth Simone Noveck is a professor at Northeastern University with appointments in law, engineering, policy, communications, and computer science. She directs The Burnes Center for Social Change and The Governance Lab. Her work focuses on “Democratic AI” — applying AI to strengthen democratic institutions and improve government performance. She previously served as Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the White House under President Obama and worked with the German Chancellery. Noveck leads InnovateUS, which supports free public-sector learning and its research initiative, the Observatory of Public Sector AI, and launched AI for Impact, which designs and deploys AI tools to address public problems.

Learn more: https://rebootdemocracy.ai/book

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