Journal of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Human-Centered Computing
The Quintessential Question: Who Governs the Algorithm?
Abstract
Paarth Sonia Wassan
What does participatory democracy truly mean in the age of Artificial Intelligence? Is it merely an ornamental constitutional phrase, recited ceremonially in civics textbooks and public discourse, or can it still manifest as a living democratic ethic wherein an ordinary citizen, driven not by institutional authority but constitutional conscience, meaningfully contributes to the architecture of national policy? There are moments in the life of a democracy when the most consequential questions do not emerge from parliamentary benches, ministerial corridors, or corporate boardrooms, but from the conscience of ordinary citizens compelled to interrogate the direction in which their Republic is moving.
Artificial Intelligence presents India with precisely such a moment. For all the celebratory rhetoric surrounding technological advancement, digital revolutions, and algorithmic efficiency, an uncomfortable question lingers beneath the euphoria: who ultimately governs the algorithm, and more importantly, who protects the citizen from it?