ITS Rio
ITS Rio (Instituto de Tecnologia e Sociedade do Rio) is a non-profit research institute studying the impact and future of technology on Brazil and the world. Among its four research areas — Democracy and Technology, Law and Technology, Education, and Rethinking Innovation — the Democracy track is directly engaged with how technological change reshapes democratic governance.
Current Democracy and Technology projects include Boca de IA (monitoring how AI systems recommend votes in the 2026 Brazilian elections — a direct response to the risk that generative AI becomes a vector for electoral manipulation) and Diálogos Digitais (amplifying civil society participation in decisions about digital transformation, including 5G, AI, and platform regulation). ITS Rio runs postgraduate courses in Digital Law and AI Regulation, and offers regular short courses (August 2026 offerings include "AI for Impact Communication," "Data Centers, AI, and National Development," and "AI and Technology Regulation").
ITS Rio occupies a different position in the democracy landscape than organisations running citizens' assemblies or building participation platforms. It works at the intersection of technology and governance — monitoring how new technologies affect democratic processes, building civil society's capacity to engage with technical policy domains, and providing the research infrastructure that evidence-based digital governance requires.
Links
- Website: itsrio.org