About this episode

Dr. Justin Lane discusses the impact of AI and narrative dynamics on democracy in Europe amidst rising polarization and declining trust.

The Thank You Democracy podcast continues its journey across regions and lived democratic realities in Season 4. In Episode 4 for our #EuropeRegionalMonth, we sat down with Dr. Justin Lane , CEO and Co‑Founder of CulturePulse , to explore how artificial intelligence, human behavior, and narrative dynamics are reshaping democratic life across Europe at a moment of rising polarization and declining institutional trust. Drawing on his work at the intersection of AI, psychology, and culture, Justin offers a sharp perspective on how beliefs are formed, how narratives spread, and why facts alone are often not enough to shift public attitudes. From his early research on religion and extremism to his current work modeling social dynamics, he reflects on what is fundamentally changing in how societies process information and make decisions. Throughout the conversation, he unpacks what makes this moment distinct. Advances in AI have made manipulation more believable, while declining trust in institutions has made societies more vulnerable to it. He challenges dominant approaches to misinformation, emphasizing that rebuilding trust and strengthening human relationships may be more critical…

People in this episode

Host: Global Democracy Coalition

Guest: Dr. Justin Lane

Topics covered

• democracy
• artificial intelligence
• polarization
• institutional trust
• information landscape
• human behavior

Keywords

• democracy
• AI
• polarization
• trust
• information
• narratives
• psychology
• extremism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CulturePulse, Global Democracy Coalition

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