A Speech-Based AI for Political Participation

Abstract

This study presents a first experimental approach for the use of intelligent virtual assistants (IVA) to support political participation. In order to involve as many citizens as possible in participatory political processes, such as the search for a repository site for high-level radioactive waste, IVAs could offer a possibility to convey information in an interactive way and to arouse interest in such complex topics. However, the question arises whether an IVA can adequately convey such a topic and ensure appropriate usability despite many complex dialogues with the user. The explorative study presents the results with a prototypically implemented Amazon Alexa Skill. Compared to a website that addresses the same questions as the Skill, a slightly poorer usability was found. Based on this first study, various questions arose that need to be investigated in future studies. These include questions related to the trustworthiness of such applications and challenges related to the auditive representations of different political opinions.