Máiréad Doyle

Shared lessons for education and elections: what I learned from another Churchill Fellow’s journey.

Trust, AI, and Democratic Resilience: A Churchill Fellowship Report Launching my Churchill report on International Day of Democracy 2025 Today feels like the perfect day to share something I've been working on for over a year. Today, I'm launching "Trust, Manipulation, and Democratic Resilience: Investigating the use of AI for the spread of disinformation during elections" - a comprehensive report born from fieldwork across India, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States during 2024's "super year" of global elections.

I'm proud to announce the publication of my Churchill Fellowship report: Trust, Manipulation and Democratic Resilience!
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Our role in democracy’s future – a personal call to action When the UN Secretary-General acknowledges that "democracy and the rule of law are under assault from disinformation, division, and shrinking civic space," he's not just describing distant threats—he's calling each of us to action. As we count down to the publication of my report, the question becomes deeply personal: What will each of us do to strengthen democratic life? Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights promises that "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression." But rights come with responsibilities.

Our role in democracy's future - a personal call to action ahead of the UN's International Day of Democracy.

"From Voice to Action" - reflecting on the enduring power of human connection as we approach the UN's International Day of Democracy.

Countdown to report publication: Individual agency in the AI age - what we citizens can do

Countdown to report publication: How journalists and content creators can support trust in elections in the age of AI and disinformation.

Countdown to report publication: Political parties and AI ethics - voluntary accountability or regulatory response?

How can federal government help Australia's democratic response to AI threats at all levels of government?

Countdown to report publication: What are the unique challenges of state and territory electoral commissions in Australia as they face growing AI and disinformation threats?

Countdown to the publication of my Churchill Fellowship report: was 2024 really an AI election apocalypse?

#voted #democracysausage

@democracysausage.org There are people in the queue in #WestFootscray pre-eating their #democracysausage - that’s illegal, right? 🗳️🌭

This was mine: cao lâu at a backstreet stall in Hoi An.

AI in US Elections: Insights from the US Election Assistance Commission The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is an independent, bipartisan commission dedicated to improving the administration of elections and helping Americans participate in the voting process. I had the pleasure of meeting with Commissioners Donald Palmer, Thomas Hicks, and Benjamin Hovland for an insightful discussion at their headquarters in Washington, DC. L to R: Commissioner Thomas Hicks, Mairead, Commissioner Benjamin Hovland…

A conversation with the US Election Assistance Commission: " I don't care who wins, I just care that eligible voters  are able to cast their votes and have those votes counted acutely and securely.”

AI and Democracy: Insights from Katie Harbath Katie Harbath, CEO of Anchor Change, is a well-known figure in the tech world, especially from her time at Facebook as the Director of Public Policy for global elections. I had the pleasure of meeting Katie at DC’s iconic Hamilton restaurant, and she was incredibly generous with her insights and experiences. Lunch at the Hamilton with Katie Harbath One of the key topics we discussed was the diverse nature of AI tools.

AI & Democracy: a thought-provoking conversation with tech thought leader Katie Harbath.

I particularly appreciated the Alexander Hamilton quote.

Disinformation in DC: learnings from The District I've been a full week in DC now, and my time has been full of meetings and reflection time. Because I am still processing my various conversations, you'll see the blog posts trickling in over the coming week, but in the meantime this is a taste of what I've been up to. First up: Tim Harper at the Center for Democracy and Technology, where I was inspired by their excellent wall art!

Disinformation in DC: learnings from The District.
A quick snapshot of my valuable time in Washington, DC, with more to follow.

AI & Democracy: a conversation with the legendary Bruce Schneier.

Who believes and who shares fake news? My last meeting in Ireland - and indeed in Europe - was with Linette Lim, a PhD candidate at the Connected_Politics lab in my alma mater of UCD. Previously a journalist, her area of interest is media and propaganda in authoritarian regimes and in smaller liberal democracies close to those regimes. Dublin being a small town, we met for a coffee one afternoon and literally two days later she was sat two rows behind me on my flight to London!

Who believes and who shares fakes news? A fascinating conversation with Linette Lim - and an introduction to the work of Audrey Tang.

Who is the guy on the right? Sorry, I’m from out of town but am transfixed.

Ireland’s Electoral Commission: Building Trust in Democracy Ireland’s electoral commission, An Coimisiún Toghcháin, was established in February 2023 out of the 2022 Electoral Reform Act. Whilst they do not physically run elections like the electoral commissions in Australia, their other responsibilities are similar. I met with a number of their management team, and their CEO Art O’Leary, over a few days in Dublin, and had great conversations about electoral integrity, public engagement and education, electoral research and, of course, the impact of AI on the spread of disinformation during elections.

Ireland’s Electoral Commission: Building Trust in Democracy

Ireland’s electoral commission, An Coimisiún Toghcháin, was established in February 2023 out of the 2022 Electoral Reform Act. Whilst they do not physically run elections like the electoral commissions in Australia, their other…

Exploring Chester: AI insights from Craig Smith I did a video with some thoughts on my long conversation with Craig Smith from the University of Salford. But Wordpress is not playing nicely with my new format so here's a link to the LinkedIn post! We spent most of our time in the beautiful Storyhouse, a charity-run complex that include a library, a coffeeshop and bar (in the library!), performance spaces and a cinema.

Trust... or reasonable doubt? A fascinating conversation with the wonderful Craig Smith from the University of Salford.

Navigating Media Challenges: Traditional vs. Digital Journalism The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is dedicated to exploring the future of journalism worldwide through debate, engagement, and research. "We believe in the value of independent journalism, the power of news, and the importance of an informed public. We are committed to the timeless journalistic aspiration of seeking truth and reporting it, as well as the ongoing work of remaking the profession and the organisations that enable it.

A fantastic discussion with Dr. Richard Fletcher from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

Exploring how we can heal and reconnect with each other through shared moments of joy, with writer and poet Lalah Simone Springer.

Big week in London Compassion in Politics - Welsh Government commits to ban lying in Parliament Alan Turing Institute (CETaS) November 2024 paper: AI-enabled Influence Operations: Safeguarding Future Elections

A big - and inspirational - week in London, meeting with Compassion in Politics, the UK's Electoral Commission and The Alan Turing Institute.

Test your AI detection skills with these games. I scored no more than 60% on any of them…

Insights from India My key insights from my discussions in India are as follows, in no particular order. Digital provenance is a good idea, the C2PA standards being the go-to. "Detecting whether or not digital content is fake is currently impossible at internet scale and speed" but it is far more straightforward to identify who created it and how, when, and where it was created or edited.

Here are my key insights from my India discussions, in no particular order.

Association for Democratic Reform India's Association for Democratic Reform (ADR) was established in 1999 by a group of professors who filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) with Delhi High Court asking for the disclosure of the criminal, financial and educational background of the candidates contesting elections. As a result, the Supreme Court made it mandatory for all candidates contesting elections to disclose criminal, financial and educational background prior to elections.

Some more fascinating discussions with Shelly Mahajan at ADR India. It is interesting how different organisational insights are already starting to line up consistently along similar themes.

Observer Research Foundation and Future Shift Labs My meeting with the Observer Research Foundation and Future Shift Labs focused on AI in the context of elections and trust in democracy, with contributions from Niranjar Sahoo and Rahul Batra from ORF and Sagar Vishnoi from Future Shift Labs.

My meeting with the Observer Research Foundation & Future Shift Labs focused on AI in the context of elections and trust in democracy. Contributions from Niranjar Sahoo and Rahul Batra from ORF and Sagar Vishnoi from Future Shift Labs.