United States of AI Ethical Policy - The Alignment Problem Is a Democracy Problem

A Civic Brief from Future in Common

Part of the series: “The United States of AI: An Ethical Policy Platform for American Workers”

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What This Brief Covers:

As artificial intelligence systems grow more powerful, a critical question looms: Will they serve the public—or override it?

This civic brief reframes the AI alignment problem—not just as a technical puzzle, but as a democratic crisis. It makes the case that aligning AI with human values must begin with aligning AI development with public values: transparency, accountability, fairness, and consent.

What You’ll Learn:

• What AI alignment means—and why it’s a civic, not just scientific, issue

• The dangers of outsourcing power to unaccountable systems or private labs

• How alignment failure can undermine trust, democracy, and civil rights

• A framework for aligning AI with democratic governance and the public good

Who It’s For:

• Concerned citizens, students, and voters

• Civic educators and community leaders

• Policymakers and government staff

• Anyone seeking a people-first approach to AI governance

Why It Matters:

We get to decide what kind of future we build with AI—but only if democratic institutions keep pace. Alignment is not just about machines doing what we ask. It’s about ensuring our systems—and the people who design them—are accountable to us.

Download includes:

PDF of the full civic brief formatted for easy reading and sharing.

License & Use

This brief is copyrighted © 2025 by Deion Lemelle / Future in Common.

The ideas are meant to be shared, adapted, and built upon.

Please do not republish the full document without permission.

You’re welcome to cite, quote, or use the concepts with attribution.