Pioneering transdisciplinary research to explore democracy in the digital age

Our Focus

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.

Upcoming Events

Taking Tech Back

Taking Back AI Governance

Wednesday, November 11, 2026 • 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM EST

Online

An overhead shot of an 18th-century handwritten manuscript or library index card overlaid with faint, glowing digital data streams, grid lines, or a subtle binary matrix.

Why Jefferson Matters in Our Information Age

Friday, November 13, 2026 • 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EST

Edgar Shannon Library, 160 McCormick Rd., Seminar Room 330

Barriers surround a data center under construction in Sterling, VA

AI Shock

What AI Means for Work and Democracy

Monday, November 16, 2026 • 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST

The Miller Center, 2201 Old Ivy Road, Charlottesville, VA & ONLINE

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Co-Opting AI

Co-Opting AI: Film

Wednesday, November 18, 2026 • 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST

Online

Research & Programming

Digital Democracy from Below

Taking Tech Back

AI Impact Atlas

Subterranean Convergence

Open-Source AI as Democratic Infrastructure

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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

Video Library

Brazil Votes: Post-Election Realities and the Road Ahead

Co-Opting AI: Quantum

Co-Opting AI

Three people sitting on chairs in front of a screen and blue pop-up banners with a woman at a white podium

Bologna’s Civic Digital Twin: Democratic Practices for Urban Simulation and Action

Urban Digital Twins

Brazil Votes: What the First Round Tells Us About the Runoff

Brazil Votes: The Pre-Election Landscape and Democratic Pressures

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The Dark Patterns of Menopause Tech

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Co-Opting AI: Archives

Co-Opting AI

Gender & Tech: Possible AI Futures

Gender & Tech

Co-Opting AI: Geopolitics

Co-Opting AI

FLiNG Report Launch: How Finfluencers, Fin-Tech, and FOMO Shape Young Adults’ Financial Well-being

Cryptocurrency & Democracy

Gender & Tech: Immigration & Techno-authoritarianism

Gender & Tech

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Co-Opting AI: Insurance

Co-Opting AI

Gender & Tech: Digital Transformation

Gender & Tech

Digital Democracy from Below

AI & the Environment and Digital Democracy from Below

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Co-Opting AI: Kids

Co-Opting AI

Gender & Tech: Dis/Misinformation & Political Extremism

Gender & Tech

Maria Lungu with a group of active duty members

OGPA Postdoc Spotlight: Maria Lungu

Gender & Tech: Trans-inclusive Technology Governance

Gender & Tech

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Co-Opting AI: Libraries

Co-Opting AI

Gender & Tech: Data Work & Political Participation

Gender & Tech

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Co-Opting AI: Antiquity

Co-Opting AI

Gender & Tech: Technocapitalism & Environmental Justice

Gender & Tech

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Co-Opting AI: Taxes

Co-Opting AI

Gender & Tech: Platform Governance

Gender & Tech

Gender & Tech: Data Governance

Gender & Tech

Gender & Tech: Digital Colonialism

Gender & Tech

‘The Algorithm’: AI, Civil Rights, and the Workplace

AI Generated Visual Misinformation, Propaganda, and Democracy

Visual Misinformation

Co-Opting AI: Debt

Co-Opting AI

Co-Opting AI: Museums

Co-Opting AI

Co-Opting AI: Privacy

Co-Opting AI

Co-Opting AI: Anatomy

Co-Opting AI

Co-Opting AI: Architecture

Co-Opting AI

Co-Opting AI: Campaigning

Co-Opting AI

Co-Opting AI: Crime

Co-Opting AI

Co-Opting AI: Math

Co-Opting AI

Co-Opting AI: Cars

Co-Opting AI

Co-Opting AI: Origins

Co-Opting AI

The Role of AI in Environmental Justice

AI & the Environment

When AI Meets Cultural Policy, Heritage, and Creativity

AI & the Environment

Co-Opting AI: Athletics

Co-Opting AI

In the News

Elon Musk in black suit and tie looking up and to the left with pink background

What the Midterms Told Us About Elon Musk’s Political Influence

David Nemer, DTD Lab faculty co-lead, argued that Elon Musk's high-profile political endorsements generated more controversy than actual votes, noting that intense financial backing ultimately attracts public scrutiny that backfires against the candidates.

www.newsweek.com

Brazilian man hugging older bald man with beard in blue shirt holding microphone

André “Mad Dog” Janones is a hero of the Brazilian left

DTD Lab faculty co-lead, David Nemer, describes André Janones's WhatsApp strategy as a "turnout machine" that mobilized pro-Lula voters who abstained in the first round, noting that the approach gave a struggling campaign an effective digital voice.

www.economist.com

Black and white pencil sketch of different people engaging with different types of technologies

In the AI Era, Language is Now an Attack Surface

In a new piece, Matthew Kirschenbaum, DTD Lab faculty affiliate, warns that because AI tools now read and respond to online text automatically, everyday language has become a dangerous new gateway for hackers to exploit and control digital systems.

www.techpolicy.press