Civic Health Project
@civichealthproject.bsky.social
Harnessing social cohesion technology to create digital spaces that foster connection, reduce polarization, and strengthen democracy online and offline.
Last week, we co-hosted Algorithms for Common Ground: Reimagining Social Media & AI in Menlo Park, a hands-on showcase of emerging tools using artificial intelligence to strengthen civic trust and reduce polarization.
November 11, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Last week, we co-hosted Algorithms for Common Ground: Reimagining Social Media & AI in Menlo Park, a hands-on showcase of emerging tools using artificial intelligence to strengthen civic trust and reduce polarization.
As deepfakes and disinformation threaten public trust, a new generation of civic technologists is using AI for something different: to help us listen, reflect, and connect.
Read the Blog: techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/heres-how-...
Read the Blog: techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/heres-how-...
Here's how AI makes online conversations better
Civic technologists are harnessing AI to foster trust and support healthy public discourse.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:59 PM
As deepfakes and disinformation threaten public trust, a new generation of civic technologists is using AI for something different: to help us listen, reflect, and connect.
Read the Blog: techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/heres-how-...
Read the Blog: techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/heres-how-...
Join Newsweek, @allsidesnow.bsky.social, and Living Room Conversatons on Nov 6 for the National Roundtable on Political Violence.
Thousands of Americans will meet online to talk, listen, and take action together.
www.allsides.com/national-rou...
Thousands of Americans will meet online to talk, listen, and take action together.
www.allsides.com/national-rou...
National Roundtable on Political Violence
Talk with your political opposite and take action. Join thousands of Americans on Nov. 6 to prove positive action can replace the violence threatening our society.
www.allsides.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Join Newsweek, @allsidesnow.bsky.social, and Living Room Conversatons on Nov 6 for the National Roundtable on Political Violence.
Thousands of Americans will meet online to talk, listen, and take action together.
www.allsides.com/national-rou...
Thousands of Americans will meet online to talk, listen, and take action together.
www.allsides.com/national-rou...
📅 Join us Oct 1 (4pm ET / 1pm PT) for a Civic Health Project + @rururbbridge.bsky.social briefing on defusing toxic polarization & political violence and what we can do to build resilience and strengthen our civic fabric.
Register for the briefing: tinyurl.com/octpolar
Register for the briefing: tinyurl.com/octpolar
September 27, 2025 at 4:26 PM
📅 Join us Oct 1 (4pm ET / 1pm PT) for a Civic Health Project + @rururbbridge.bsky.social briefing on defusing toxic polarization & political violence and what we can do to build resilience and strengthen our civic fabric.
Register for the briefing: tinyurl.com/octpolar
Register for the briefing: tinyurl.com/octpolar
A glimpse of how technology can serve democracy. We the People uses AI not to divide, but to draw out reflection, common ground, and the shared values that sustain us.
What happens when thousands of Americans from every congressional district share their views on freedom and equality, with the help of an AI?
That’s the promise of We the People, a new initiative from Jigsaw and the Napolitan Institute.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/the-ai-lis...
That’s the promise of We the People, a new initiative from Jigsaw and the Napolitan Institute.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/the-ai-lis...
The AI listening to 'We the People'
Jigsaw is deploying Gemini AI to listen to over 2,500 Americans in a historic experiment to make sense of where Americans stand—and what they share.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
September 19, 2025 at 6:39 PM
A glimpse of how technology can serve democracy. We the People uses AI not to divide, but to draw out reflection, common ground, and the shared values that sustain us.
When technology is designed to foster local belonging and shared identity, it can strengthen the very social fabric so many fear is unraveling.
This is the kind of evidence we need to reimagine digital spaces—not as engines of outrage, but as platforms that help us connect with our communities.
This is the kind of evidence we need to reimagine digital spaces—not as engines of outrage, but as platforms that help us connect with our communities.
RESEARCH: Participating in local conversations can strengthen your connection to your community, online & off.
A study found active, long-term participants in their local subreddit were more likely to be civically involved & report a higher sense of belonging.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
A study found active, long-term participants in their local subreddit were more likely to be civically involved & report a higher sense of belonging.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
September 18, 2025 at 4:57 PM
When technology is designed to foster local belonging and shared identity, it can strengthen the very social fabric so many fear is unraveling.
This is the kind of evidence we need to reimagine digital spaces—not as engines of outrage, but as platforms that help us connect with our communities.
This is the kind of evidence we need to reimagine digital spaces—not as engines of outrage, but as platforms that help us connect with our communities.
Heavy social media users are nearly 4x more likely than light users to justify political violence. s.
The stakes are clear: if we want to counter the rise of political violence, technology has to be part of the solution, not just part of the problem.
The stakes are clear: if we want to counter the rise of political violence, technology has to be part of the solution, not just part of the problem.
Our latest newsletter provides a clearer, more evidence-based view of Americans' attitudes towards political violence than what you may find in your social media feed: moreincommon.substack.com/p/attitudes-...
Attitudes towards political violence in the United States
Charlie Kirk’s murder is an inexcusable act of political violence and a personal tragedy.
moreincommon.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Heavy social media users are nearly 4x more likely than light users to justify political violence. s.
The stakes are clear: if we want to counter the rise of political violence, technology has to be part of the solution, not just part of the problem.
The stakes are clear: if we want to counter the rise of political violence, technology has to be part of the solution, not just part of the problem.
Trust in chatbots is 30% higher than in elected officials — and 38% of people feel that AI could make better decisions on their behalf than government representatives.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/more-peopl...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/more-peopl...
More people trust chatbots than elected leaders
What new research reveals about our evolving relationship with AI—and how chatbots are filling the trust gap in the social contract.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
September 16, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Trust in chatbots is 30% higher than in elected officials — and 38% of people feel that AI could make better decisions on their behalf than government representatives.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/more-peopl...
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/more-peopl...
Reposted by Civic Health Project
We are deeply disturbed by the news that Charlie Kirk was shot while speaking at UVU today. We stand alongside bipartisan leaders and elected officials who have condemned this attack on a fellow American. We denounce this shooting and all forms of political violence.
September 10, 2025 at 8:11 PM
We are deeply disturbed by the news that Charlie Kirk was shot while speaking at UVU today. We stand alongside bipartisan leaders and elected officials who have condemned this attack on a fellow American. We denounce this shooting and all forms of political violence.
What happens when you build a social media platform where every user is an AI?
One recent study did just that, and even without ads or algorithms, the bots still formed partisan echo chambers and amplified the most polarized content.
gizmodo.com/researchers-...
One recent study did just that, and even without ads or algorithms, the bots still formed partisan echo chambers and amplified the most polarized content.
gizmodo.com/researchers-...
Researchers Made a Social Media Platform Where Every User Was AI. The Bots Ended Up at War
Time to start over.
gizmodo.com
August 25, 2025 at 7:15 PM
What happens when you build a social media platform where every user is an AI?
One recent study did just that, and even without ads or algorithms, the bots still formed partisan echo chambers and amplified the most polarized content.
gizmodo.com/researchers-...
One recent study did just that, and even without ads or algorithms, the bots still formed partisan echo chambers and amplified the most polarized content.
gizmodo.com/researchers-...
Is there still hope for the internet? 🌐
On Outrage Overload, Civic Health Project’s Kristin Hansen shares how @normsyai.bsky.social uses Human+AI to scale counterspeech, curb toxic conversations, and strengthen our shared civic norms.
outrageoverload.net/outrage-70-i...
On Outrage Overload, Civic Health Project’s Kristin Hansen shares how @normsyai.bsky.social uses Human+AI to scale counterspeech, curb toxic conversations, and strengthen our shared civic norms.
outrageoverload.net/outrage-70-i...
Outrage 70 - Is There Still Hope for the Internet? - Kristin Hansen - Outrage Overload
Kristin Hansen tells us about Normsy.ai
outrageoverload.net
August 20, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Is there still hope for the internet? 🌐
On Outrage Overload, Civic Health Project’s Kristin Hansen shares how @normsyai.bsky.social uses Human+AI to scale counterspeech, curb toxic conversations, and strengthen our shared civic norms.
outrageoverload.net/outrage-70-i...
On Outrage Overload, Civic Health Project’s Kristin Hansen shares how @normsyai.bsky.social uses Human+AI to scale counterspeech, curb toxic conversations, and strengthen our shared civic norms.
outrageoverload.net/outrage-70-i...
“We design our technology, and thereafter it designs us. We must get it right this time—and soon.”
We still have time to build a future where AI serves the public good, but we need to take action now.
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/cp/171329941
We still have time to build a future where AI serves the public good, but we need to take action now.
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/cp/171329941
AI Is Capturing Interiority
In unprecedented ways, chatbots reconfigure our inner lives.
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com
August 20, 2025 at 4:18 PM
“We design our technology, and thereafter it designs us. We must get it right this time—and soon.”
We still have time to build a future where AI serves the public good, but we need to take action now.
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/cp/171329941
We still have time to build a future where AI serves the public good, but we need to take action now.
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/cp/171329941
Algorithmic plurality isn’t enough—we need exposure diversity to build trust & counter misinformation.
www.techpolicy.press/making-media...
www.techpolicy.press/making-media...
Making Media Pluralism Work in the Age of Algorithms | TechPolicy.Press
Urbano Reviglio says algorithmic pluralism is not just algorithmic plurality; it must be part of a broader structural effort to uphold media pluralism.
www.techpolicy.press
August 13, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Algorithmic plurality isn’t enough—we need exposure diversity to build trust & counter misinformation.
www.techpolicy.press/making-media...
www.techpolicy.press/making-media...
ChatGPT convinced a user he’d developed a formula that could take down the internet and to warn others. He asked 50+ times for a reality check. The AI kept saying yes—a reminder that LLMs, trained by humans, can be swayed by sycophancy.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/t...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/t...
Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens.
www.nytimes.com
August 13, 2025 at 4:35 PM
ChatGPT convinced a user he’d developed a formula that could take down the internet and to warn others. He asked 50+ times for a reality check. The AI kept saying yes—a reminder that LLMs, trained by humans, can be swayed by sycophancy.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/t...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/t...
Reposted by Civic Health Project
On Nextdoor, crime posts dominate your feed thanks to engagement-driven algorithms. In Vermont, Front Porch Forum updates just once a day—fostering trust and civic engagement instead of fear.
www.afterbabel.com/cp/170467486
www.afterbabel.com/cp/170467486
The Algorithm Next Door
How local digital platforms like Nextdoor and Facebook are fraying the fabric of neighborhood trust — and what we can build instead.
www.afterbabel.com
August 13, 2025 at 3:48 PM
On Nextdoor, crime posts dominate your feed thanks to engagement-driven algorithms. In Vermont, Front Porch Forum updates just once a day—fostering trust and civic engagement instead of fear.
www.afterbabel.com/cp/170467486
www.afterbabel.com/cp/170467486
Reposted by Civic Health Project
Google’s AI Overview puts summaries at the top of search results. Helpful? Maybe. But it also makes AI an unaccountable gatekeeper—shaping what we see, and what we don’t. What’s your take?
"As AI overviews become the default gateway to information, we risk creating a generation of users who consume knowledge without question, publishers who cannot sustain quality journalism, and a public sphere increasingly shaped by the statistical patterns embedded in large language models."
How AI-Driven Search May Reshape Democracy, Economics, and Human Agency | TechPolicy.Press
Cameron Pattison, Vance Ricks, and John P. Wihbey see differences in kind, as well as in degree, from the pre-generative model-based online search environment.
www.techpolicy.press
August 12, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Google’s AI Overview puts summaries at the top of search results. Helpful? Maybe. But it also makes AI an unaccountable gatekeeper—shaping what we see, and what we don’t. What’s your take?
Reposted by Civic Health Project
Digital spaces, like physical spaces, should be public-friendly. Civic Signals defines 14 «signals» that help platforms with 4 «blocks»:
👥 Welcome diverse publics
🌎 Build bridges and strengthen local ties
🧠 Promote understanding and reliable information
🤝 Inspire civic action
👥 Welcome diverse publics
🌎 Build bridges and strengthen local ties
🧠 Promote understanding and reliable information
🤝 Inspire civic action
August 11, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Digital spaces, like physical spaces, should be public-friendly. Civic Signals defines 14 «signals» that help platforms with 4 «blocks»:
👥 Welcome diverse publics
🌎 Build bridges and strengthen local ties
🧠 Promote understanding and reliable information
🤝 Inspire civic action
👥 Welcome diverse publics
🌎 Build bridges and strengthen local ties
🧠 Promote understanding and reliable information
🤝 Inspire civic action
As AI agents gain autonomy, ethics must guide them to foster trust, reduce polarization, and strengthen—not erode—our civic fabric. Prosocial design isn’t optional; it’s essential for a healthy democratic future
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
We need a new ethics for a world of AI agents
The deployment of capable AI agents raises fresh questions about safety, human–machine relationships and social coordination.
www.nature.com
August 12, 2025 at 3:30 PM
As AI agents gain autonomy, ethics must guide them to foster trust, reduce polarization, and strengthen—not erode—our civic fabric. Prosocial design isn’t optional; it’s essential for a healthy democratic future
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Bowling Green, KY just ran “the largest town hall in America.”
In 33 days, 8,000 residents cast 1M+ votes on local ideas using Deliberative Tech & AI. 80%+ agreement on half the proposals.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sEC...
In 33 days, 8,000 residents cast 1M+ votes on local ideas using Deliberative Tech & AI. 80%+ agreement on half the proposals.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sEC...
How a Kentucky community is using AI to help people find common ground
YouTube video by PBS NewsHour
www.youtube.com
August 11, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Bowling Green, KY just ran “the largest town hall in America.”
In 33 days, 8,000 residents cast 1M+ votes on local ideas using Deliberative Tech & AI. 80%+ agreement on half the proposals.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sEC...
In 33 days, 8,000 residents cast 1M+ votes on local ideas using Deliberative Tech & AI. 80%+ agreement on half the proposals.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sEC...
25 orgs. 2,798 surveys. One finding: bridging works.
SCIM shows measurable gains in empathy, respect & reduced animosity — and these same indicators can guide prosocial tech design.
SCIM shows measurable gains in empathy, respect & reduced animosity — and these same indicators can guide prosocial tech design.
The data is in: bridging works. 📊
From SCIM to the Peace Impact Framework, we can measure reduced polarization & stronger trust offline — and now bring those same indicators into tech design.
If we can measure it, we can design for it.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/the-scienc...
From SCIM to the Peace Impact Framework, we can measure reduced polarization & stronger trust offline — and now bring those same indicators into tech design.
If we can measure it, we can design for it.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/the-scienc...
The Science of Trust
Bridging work delivers measurable results. Now let’s use these metrics and design tech to scale it.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
August 11, 2025 at 4:05 PM
25 orgs. 2,798 surveys. One finding: bridging works.
SCIM shows measurable gains in empathy, respect & reduced animosity — and these same indicators can guide prosocial tech design.
SCIM shows measurable gains in empathy, respect & reduced animosity — and these same indicators can guide prosocial tech design.
If AI outputs get full First Amendment protection, regulating manipulative or harmful systems could become nearly impossible. Learn about why AI is the next free speech battleground from @centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/p/why-ai-is-...
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/p/why-ai-is-...
Why AI is the next free speech battleground
With Larry Lessig and Meetali Jain
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com
August 7, 2025 at 10:50 PM
If AI outputs get full First Amendment protection, regulating manipulative or harmful systems could become nearly impossible. Learn about why AI is the next free speech battleground from @centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/p/why-ai-is-...
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/p/why-ai-is-...
31 members of Congress. No party labels. No talking points. No posturing. Just one hour of real, crosspartisan dialogue.
Bridge Grades crunched the data—and many of them are walking the walk.
Let’s make this the norm, not the exception.
bridgegrades.substack.com/p/a-bipartis...
Bridge Grades crunched the data—and many of them are walking the walk.
Let’s make this the norm, not the exception.
bridgegrades.substack.com/p/a-bipartis...
A bipartisan group of Congress got friendly for an hour - a small but notable moment
On Thursday morning, No Labels brought together 28 House Representatives and 3 Senators to discuss bipartisan collaboration--an important step as bridgers find each other and begin dialogue.
bridgegrades.substack.com
July 1, 2025 at 7:15 PM
31 members of Congress. No party labels. No talking points. No posturing. Just one hour of real, crosspartisan dialogue.
Bridge Grades crunched the data—and many of them are walking the walk.
Let’s make this the norm, not the exception.
bridgegrades.substack.com/p/a-bipartis...
Bridge Grades crunched the data—and many of them are walking the walk.
Let’s make this the norm, not the exception.
bridgegrades.substack.com/p/a-bipartis...
Reposted by Civic Health Project
Happy #ListenFirstFriday! 👂🌍
What if tech brought us together instead of tearing us apart?
🎥 Watch @civichealthproject.bsky.social's Kristin Hansen share why the June 26 Global Expo on Tech & Social Cohesion matters.
🗓️ Free + hybrid → Register + Agenda: techandsocialcohesion.org/ctsc-expo/
What if tech brought us together instead of tearing us apart?
🎥 Watch @civichealthproject.bsky.social's Kristin Hansen share why the June 26 Global Expo on Tech & Social Cohesion matters.
🗓️ Free + hybrid → Register + Agenda: techandsocialcohesion.org/ctsc-expo/
June 20, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Happy #ListenFirstFriday! 👂🌍
What if tech brought us together instead of tearing us apart?
🎥 Watch @civichealthproject.bsky.social's Kristin Hansen share why the June 26 Global Expo on Tech & Social Cohesion matters.
🗓️ Free + hybrid → Register + Agenda: techandsocialcohesion.org/ctsc-expo/
What if tech brought us together instead of tearing us apart?
🎥 Watch @civichealthproject.bsky.social's Kristin Hansen share why the June 26 Global Expo on Tech & Social Cohesion matters.
🗓️ Free + hybrid → Register + Agenda: techandsocialcohesion.org/ctsc-expo/
Reposted by Civic Health Project
What if tech didn’t divide us—but helped rebuild trust?
On June 26, the Global EXPO on Tech & Social Cohesion. Demos, policy convos, tools for healthy online spaces, and more.
Join in DC, Kathmandu, or online.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/join-us-fo...
On June 26, the Global EXPO on Tech & Social Cohesion. Demos, policy convos, tools for healthy online spaces, and more.
Join in DC, Kathmandu, or online.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/join-us-fo...
Join us for the global EXPO on Technology and Social Cohesion
Practical tools, emerging evidence and global insights will be featured in this HYBRID event on June 26
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com
June 18, 2025 at 9:49 PM
What if tech didn’t divide us—but helped rebuild trust?
On June 26, the Global EXPO on Tech & Social Cohesion. Demos, policy convos, tools for healthy online spaces, and more.
Join in DC, Kathmandu, or online.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/join-us-fo...
On June 26, the Global EXPO on Tech & Social Cohesion. Demos, policy convos, tools for healthy online spaces, and more.
Join in DC, Kathmandu, or online.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/join-us-fo...
Algorithms prioritize velocity—what spreads fastest wins. That means outrage, fear, and lies get amplified.
It’s not accidental. It’s a design choice. And it doesn’t have to be that way.
It’s not accidental. It’s a design choice. And it doesn’t have to be that way.
When it comes to platform governance, we must reframe the conversation towards mandating transparency and accountability, with a specific focus on the internal recommendation engines, writes Tech Policy Press contributing editor Amber Sinha:
Why False Bias Claims Don’t Undermine the Case for Social Media Regulation | TechPolicy.Press
Big Tech's current self-regulatory practices fail to meet the requisite criteria for effective and meaningful self-governance, writes Amber Sinha.
www.techpolicy.press
June 18, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Algorithms prioritize velocity—what spreads fastest wins. That means outrage, fear, and lies get amplified.
It’s not accidental. It’s a design choice. And it doesn’t have to be that way.
It’s not accidental. It’s a design choice. And it doesn’t have to be that way.