This second recipe is for the moment when a public servant, facilitator, or democratic practitioner is asked to use AI in a participatory process—whether through a proposal, tender, or internal decision. It provides a set of guiding questions to help you respond constructively and critically, without defaulting to a “yes” or “no.”

Rather than treating AI as inherently good or bad, this approach helps you clarify how, why, and to what end AI might be used. Is it replacing something meaningful? Is it adding something valuable? Who benefits—and who might be excluded or silenced in the process?

This recipe draws on lessons from the KT4D project’s live experiments, where AI systems were introduced into real deliberative settings. It offers a reflective and practical guide for making democratic sense of technological offers, requests, or trends.

It builds on the concept of democracy-in-the-loop introduced in Recipe 1, helping you bring that mindset into early-stage decision-making.

This recipe is part of the Digital Democracy Lab Handbook — a practical resource for facilitators, technologists, and public sector actors exploring how AI can support meaningful democratic exchange.