The Digital Technology for Democracy Lab is a collaboration across the University of Virginia that explores how rapidly evolving digital technologies can challenge, but might also fortify, democratic institutions and practices.
Pioneering transdisciplinary research to explore democracy in the digital age
Our Focus
Upcoming Events
Brazil Votes: What the First Round Tells Us About the Runoff
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 • 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM EDT
Online
Data Are Made, Not Found
Friday, October 30, 2026 • 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EDT
Shannon Library, 160 McCormick Rd., Seminar Room 330
Brazil Votes: Post-Election Realities and the Road Ahead
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 • 6:00 PM – 7:15 PM EDT
Online
Why Jefferson Matters in Our Information Age
Friday, November 13, 2026 • 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EDT
Edgar Shannon Library, 160 McCormick Rd., Seminar Room 330
What AI Means for Work and Democracy
Monday, November 16, 2026 • 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
The Miller Center, 2201 Old Ivy Road, Charlottesville, VA & ONLINE
Research & Programming
Digital Democracy from Below
Taking Tech Back
AI Impact Atlas
Subterranean Convergence
Open-Source AI as Democratic Infrastructure
AI Shock
Automated Futures
Multimodal Climate AI
Data in the Dark
Automation’s Ecologies
Visual Misinformation
AI & the Environment
Student Technology Council
Technology & Disinformation
Social Contagions
Gender & Tech
Co-Opting AI
Urban Digital Twins
Technology & Democracy Exchange
Data Center Policies
Descendant-Led Digital Humanities Lab & Network
Cryptocurrency & Democracy
Trending
DTD Lab Welcomes New Postdocs & Faculty Affiliate
Meet the Lab
Reimagining AI for Environmental Justice & Creativity Collection of Essays
Learn More & Download
Insights from the Visual Generative AI Propaganda Convening
Learn More & Download
Video Library
FLiNG Report Launch: How Finfluencers, Fin-Tech, and FOMO Shape Young Adults’ Financial Well-being
Cryptocurrency & Democracy
In the News
Destroying Books to Build a Mind
In an article about Anthropic's efforts to acquire as many printed books as possible, Matthew Kirschenbaum, DTD Lab faculty affiliate, explains that when books are "homogenized" by LLMs, they lose their boundaries - a process that removes all of the unique relationships and human history present in the original objects.
New Name, Expanded Mission for UVA’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities
The Institute for the Arts and Humanities (IAH), formerly known as the Institute of the Humanities and Global Cultures, celebrated its relaunch with a reception announcing its new role as the College's central hub for collaborative research in the arts and humanities. Mona Kasra, DTD Lab faculty co-lead and interim co-director, and the IAH’s new associate director, is working to lead planning for an Experimental Artspace off Grounds.
The End Times: How Silicon Valley absorbed ‘techno-religious’ doomerism
Mona Sloane, DTD Lab faculty co-lead, was interviewed about the "technoreligious doomerism" absorbed by Silicon Valley; while unregulated AI poses dangers, Sloane said, "the idea of 'existential risk of AI' is a deliberate moving target."
Join our vibrant lab and help us explore the intersection of digital technology and democracy.
Current Opportunities