This Machine Kills 445. What’s Democracy Got to Do With AI? (ft. Bruce Schneier)
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Feb 19, 2026 
Bruce Schneier, security technologist and author of Rewiring Democracy, offers a sharp take on AI and political power. He discusses how money and monopolies amplify tech harms. He also explores AI tools that help legislators, courts, watchdogs, and public administration. The conversation weighs specialized models, public-interest tech, and the governance needed to keep democracy resilient.
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Courts Use AI To Speed Justice
- Brazilian courts adopted AI to handle scheduling and document work and vastly improved docket throughput.
- Faster resolutions let more citizens sue and have their cases decided sooner.
AI-Assisted Investigative Journalism
- CalMatters aggregated every public utterance of California officials and added an AI 'tip sheet' for journalists.
- The AI flags anomalies for journalists to investigate, not for automatic publication.
Specialized Models Are The Likely Future
- The future favors smaller, specialized models rather than one-size-fits-all giants.
- Orchestration systems will route tasks to purpose-built models to save cost and increase fit.
