AI and Deliberative Democracy: Scaling Fishkin's Reflection

The article analyzes the use of artificial intelligence to scale democratic processes in the spirit of James S. Fishkin's thought. The author focuses on the transition from small citizen groups to mass deliberative platforms, such as the Stanford Online Deliberation Platform. The main issue is the question of procedural power – transferring moderation to the level of code may freeze political norms and create a new form of power asymmetry. The text contrasts the Habermasian model, emphasizing communicative legitimacy, with Fishkin's proceduralism, where AI serves to reduce organizational costs. The conclusions indicate that while technology supports access to voice and logistics, it cannot become an epistemic arbiter of consensus, as algorithmic neutrality is a myth and code always reflects the goals of its creators.