In his TICTeC 2025 presentation, Richard Gevers (Open Cities Lab) gives practical insights from South Africa’s groundbreaking Digital Mzansi initiative — a comprehensive programme to transform government service delivery through democratic Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). Hear of the concrete progress that has been made, and plans for building open, inclusive digital systems that reach millions of citizens.
As AI systems become fundamental to civic participation, their concentration in the hands of a few tech giants poses critical challenges to digital sovereignty and civic empowerment. Public AI could serve as a democratic counterweight to commercial AI systems, enabling civic tech organisations to maintain independence while harnessing AI’s potential.
In this TICTeC 2025 presentation by Felix Sieker (Bertelsmann Stiftung), find out about strategies for developing Public AI alternatives that prioritise democratic values over commercial interests.
When thinking about digital technologies for participation as public spaces, the narrative can shift to promote a stronger role for public authorities in developing, deploying and monitoring such technologies. The Getting Civic Tech Right for Democracy work from the OECD helps suggest first recommendations towards a more holistic perspective for digital participation. Mauricio Mejia Galvan (OECD) presents these recommendations.