Emma Hoes

Abstract As generative artificial intelligence (Al) rapidly reshapes political communication and governance, there is an urgent need to understand its implications for democratic systems. While Al technologies have the potential to strengthen democracy (by improving access to information, enhancing participation, and supporting transparency and accountability) they also pose significant risks. These include the spread of disinformation, algorithmic bias, and the manipulation of electoral processes. Addressing this dual challenge, the project brings together a multidisciplinary network from six Una Europa institutions to develop a pioneering framework for assessing both the democratic risks and opportunities associated with Al. Integrating expertise from political science, communication studies, and computer science, the project will examine the impact of Al on democratic values, electoral integrity, and governance, in close consultation with key societal stakeholders. Core activities include an interdisciplinary research workshop, a grant development workshop, and a virtual training programme on Al for research. Together, these initiatives will strengthen collaboration, build research capacity, and position Una Europa to lead future international funding initiatives in this critical area. By co-developing innovative analytical tools and conceptual frameworks, the project aims to advance the state of the art while contributing to the protection and resilience of democratic systems in the age of Al.

Many thanks to the project leads:

Leiden: @tomlouwerse.nl (Co-PI)
Zurich: @fgilardi.bsky.social & @emmahoes.bsky.social
Leuven: @rdassonneville.bsky.social & @bzar.bsky.social
Edinburgh: Adam Chalmers
Berlin: @bcastanho.bsky.social

Details on our project: una-europa.imgix.net/documents/DE...

10 new projects receive Una Europa Seed Funding to shape Europe’s future | Una Europa Eleven European research universities have come together to create a unique alliance – Una Europa. Our universities have been educating Europe for almost 1,000 years. Together, we teach more than 400,...

Delighted that our project “Democracy and AI” has been selected for Una Europa Seed Funding.

Our project establishes a network of 25 researchers from six Una Europa institutions: University of Zurich, KU Leuven, University of Edinburgh, FU Berlin, Leiden, UCD.

➡️ www.una-europa.eu/stories/10-n...

Interesting unpacking of deepfakes:

- darkfakes
- glowfakes
- foefakes
- fanfakes

“A blanket approach to “fighting deepfakes” risks treating satirical content the same as malicious attacks”

@morganwack.bsky.social & co in @techpolicypress.bsky.social

www.techpolicy.press/scrutinizing...

🚨 New paper 🚨

Sexually explicit deepfakes 🤖 hurt politicians on almost all fronts...

This is the case ***even*** when people realized the image wasn't real 🤯, and effects are stronger for male 👨 than female 👩 candidates

Link to preprint: tinyurl.com/pnnkhfks

This is a working paper. Feedback very much welcome! @sachaltay.bsky.social

What about debriefings in Misinformation Research?

✅ Only specific debriefings reduce belief in false info
⚠️ Both slightly reduce belief in true info
🧠 Only specific boosts perceived learning
🟢 Only general reduces manipulation & frustration
🔍 Both increase transparency

osf.io/preprints/ps...

On this hot, sunny day in Madrid 🌞 during EPSA - happy to see this out in Nature Human Behavior 🚀

We show that, with the right incentives, social media cán do good!

Just published in @pnas.org

@emmahoes.bsky.social and I find that people are far more concerned about AI’s immediate harms than about speculative existential risks. Doomsday talk raises concern about catastrophic outcomes but doesn’t reduce worry about today’s risks

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

🚨New paper out in @pnas.org with @fgilardi.bsky.social !

Existential AI risks do **not** distract from immediate harms. In our study (n = 10,800), people consistently prioritize current threats - bias, misinformation, job loss - over sci-fi doom!

💥👉 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Reminder to apply for the EUI Alumni Conference (also open to EUI PhDs and fellows)! Deadline is this Friday, March 14th. Looking forward!

Looking forward to be presenting joint work in progress with @klueserthan.bsky.social and @sachaltay.bsky.social on ‘The Hidden Politics of Social Media’

@jonnekamphorst.bsky.social

A car attack in Munich just days before the election-was it a game-changer? Politico speculated it could boost the AfD, but the results tell a different story. Our research on the Utrecht attack shows why voters often rally around incumbents instead: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Thanks for the feedback! That’s exactly one of the things I was wondering, whether it is possible to append PID and other information to the survey URL in case participants are forwarded to another platform/directed back to the survey?

Are you happy with questionpro? Discovered anything you cannot do that was possible with Qualtrics?

Any tips/recommendations are welcome!

P.S. Is Qualtrics pricing itself out of the academic market purposefully, you think?

Social media fragmentation: do online platforms drown democracy in noise? With artificial intelligence set to potentially flood the internet with content, is it all over for a harmonious digital public sphere?

Social media fragmentation: do online platforms drown democracy in noise? feat. @hannesbajohr.de & @emmahoes.bsky.social
www.swissinfo.ch/eng/democrac...

To my fellow former or current EUI members —> The EUI Alumni Association is now also on BlueSky 👋 @eui-alumni.bsky.social

Make sure to follow and apply for the Alumni Conference on the Role of Academia in Challenging times on June 11th in beautiful Florence 🌞

🎓Delighted to announce that the 2025 annual EUI Alumni Association will take place on 11th of June on "Reimagining the Role of Academia in Challenging Times" - The call for proposals is open to EUI Alumni and the EUI community! @eui-eu.bsky.social

All in the mind? The surprising truth about brain rot Is screen use really sapping our ability to focus and lowering our IQs? The scientists who have actually analysed the data give their verdict

“[…] the tech panic isn’t based on evidence. It’s based on vibes.”

Refreshing read, this piece in the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Exciting news ✨ The new Vienna Doctoral College for Digital Humanism has 5 open PhD positions, one of them based in our very own POLCOM group. Thinking of applying, or know someone who might be interested? All info can be found 🔗 t.ly/836lz

With the exception of the last one, literally everything I had to read long time ago for a BA minor in political philosophy

Perhaps this one could be of interest too: osf.io/preprints/ps...

🚨 New publication alert in PSRM! 🚨

Our latest paper examines gender bias in media coverage of elections and the factors influencing it.

Read more: doi.org/10.1017/psrm...

With @fgilardi.bsky.social y.social & @gessler.bsky.social

Regarding monetization, this article may be relevant:

Bluesky is emerging as the new platform for science - Mike Young Academy Scientific Twitter is about to find its true successor. And it is not X. This, our latest release, shows that the Bluesky network of scientists is growing — and growing.

A mapping of how Bluesky is becoming the new Scientific Twitter

mikeyoungacademy.dk/bluesky-is-e...

Bluesky now has over 20M people!! 🎉

We've been adding over a million users per day for the last few days. To celebrate, here are 20 fun facts about Bluesky:

Thanks for putting this together! Could I be added?