The Godfather of Security, Bruce Schneier, Rewires Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government and Citizenship

If Geoffrey Hinton is the Godfather of AI, then Bruce Schneier might be described as the Godfather of Security. A celebrated cryptographer and computer security expert, Schneier’s latest co-authored (with Nathan Sanders) book is entitled Rewiring Democracy and speculates on how AI might transform our politics, government and citizenship. American democracy, Schneier notes, runs on archaic 1776 technology in today’s digital 2025 world. Rather than fighting against AI then, he suggests, Americans should adapt this new technology to update how they do politics in the 21st century. But Schneier offers the crucial caveats that AI can neither solve fundamental human problems nor transcend ideology. "A value is just a bias we like," he warns about the impossibility of a “valueless” AI system. While cautiously optimistic about AI's potential to democratize power—from helping local politicians without resources to enabling mass citizen assemblies—he warns that without fixing underlying political and economic structures, AI will simply radically empower the already powerful. Trust the Godfather of Security on this one. AI might well turn out to be reassuringly less revolutionary than both its critics and supporters promise.

1. You're Already Using AI More Than You Think Schneier distinguishes between generative AI (ChatGPT, Claude) and the AI that's already embedded everywhere - from Google searches to map apps to spell checkers. While he rarely uses generative AI himself, he points out we're all using AI constantly without realizing it.

2. AI Can't Solve Democracy's Core Problems "A value is just a bias we like," Schneier argues. AI won't transcend human ideology or provide objective answers to political questions. Democracy isn't about getting the "correct" answer - it's about the messy human process of figuring things out together.

3. Trust No One with Too Much Power - Including AI Leaders When asked about trusting Sam Altman or other tech leaders, Schneier is clear: "I don't want anyone to have that sort of power, no matter who they are." The problem isn't the individual but the system that allows such concentration of power.

4. Politics and Economics Matter More Than Technology AI will either democratize power or make the rich richer, but technology alone won't determine which. "If you don't have the agency politically, no amount of tech can change that," Schneier insists. Fix the political and economic structures first.

5. AI-Run Government Would Be Dystopia, Even If It Worked Even if an AI could make perfect decisions about climate policy or monetary supply, Schneier argues it would be fundamentally dystopian. Democracy is the process of deciding, not just the outcome. Lose that process, and we're no longer in control of our future.

Thanks for reading Keen On America! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe