German version below

Tech Oligarchy, AI and the Future of Democracy | A Conversation with Michael Weinman

Who controls the digital public sphere? What political power do technology companies hold today? And can democracy keep pace with the rapid development of artificial intelligence?

In this episode of the Europapodcast, we speak with US political scientist Michael Weinman about the concept of “Tech Oligarchy”: the growing concentration of technological, economic and political power in the hands of a small number of actors.

Drawing on an international research project, we discuss the role of Big Tech, data sovereignty, platform economies and generative AI. The conversation also explores the political ideas of influential technology entrepreneurs such as Peter Thiel, as well as the question of whether Europe can develop a democratic countermodel to the concentration of digital power.

Topics in this episode

• What does the term “Tech Oligarchy” mean?
• How are digital platforms changing democratic processes?
• Why is data sovereignty becoming a key issue of the 21st century?
• What political visions are being pursued by parts of the tech elite?
• Is artificial intelligence changing only the speed of power, or also its very nature?
• What opportunities and challenges does this create for Europe?
• How can democratic societies respond to the concentration of power in the technology sector?

Our Guest

Prof. Dr. Michael Weinman is a political scientist and democracy researcher in the United States. Together with an international group of scholars, he is working on a research project on the political significance of technology, data power and democracy in the digital age.

Talking Europe is a cooperation between the Europapodcast and the European Democracy Institute at Bard College Berlin.

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Music Credits Jon Björk / Going North / courtesy of Epidemic Sound Craft Case / Cold Sweat / courtesy of Epidemic Sound

German Version

Tech-Oligarchie, KI und die Zukunft der Demokratie | Gespräch mit Michael Weinman

Wer kontrolliert die digitale Öffentlichkeit? Welche politische Macht besitzen Technologieunternehmen heute? Und kann die Demokratie mit der rasanten Entwicklung von Künstlicher Intelligenz überhaupt Schritt halten?

In dieser Folge des Europapodcasts sprechen wir mit dem US-amerikanischen Politikwissenschaftler Michael Weinman über das Konzept