Artificial Intelligence, Democracy, and Gender Justice: An Interview with Jocelyn Maclure

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This interview with Jocelyn Maclure, one of today’s leading political philosophers and a prominent scholar of AI ethics and democratic governance, explores the ethical, political, and gendered dimensions of artificial intelligence (AI). Situating contemporary debates on AI within the broader traditions of political philosophy and democratic theory, the conversation examines the challenges AI systems pose to transparency, explainability, accountability, privacy, and distributive justice. Maclure argues that many of the most pressing concerns surrounding AI are not entirely unprecedented but constitute new manifestations of enduring questions about legitimacy, fairness, power, and human rights. Particular attention is given to democratic AI governance and the need for public justification, meaningful human oversight, and institutional accountability in AI-assisted decision-making. The interview also addresses epistemic inequality, algorithmic bias, intersectional discrimination, and feminist and postcolonial critiques of AI ethics. Drawing on concepts such as public reason and relational autonomy, the discussion considers how AI systems may reproduce and intensify existing social inequalities while also opening possibilities for gender justice, democratic participation, and more inclusive forms of knowledge production. Rejecting both technological solutionism and technological pessimism, Maclure advances an institutional approach centered on regulation, democratic oversight, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The interview contributes to emerging debates on AI governance by demonstrating how democratic and justice-oriented perspectives caninform the development and governance of socially responsible AI systems.