We live in a world where democracy feels both more urgent and more fragile than ever.
And at the same time, artificial intelligence is changing how we work, think, decide, and vote.
In this episode of Questions Out Of The Box, we sat down with Alicia Combaz, the founder and CEO of Make.org, a civic tech platform that has activated over 10 million citizens across Europe. Her mission? To make democracy something we live every day, not just every few years.
We asked Alicia the big question:
Will AI save democracy, or quietly dismantle it?
Her answer wasn’t simple, but it was deeply honest, and unexpectedly hopeful.
“AI accelerates the best and the worst. It’s up to us to choose what future we want.”
Alicia builds the systems that make it possible. Through Make.org, she’s shown how digital tools can turn public participation into real policy influence. But she also warns us: if we let AI be shaped behind closed doors, by biased data and invisible hands, it could reshape reality itself before we even notice.
Here are a few things that stayed with us:
Alicia believes people still have power, but most don’t know how to use it.
That’s what Make.org sets out to change: creating tools that make it easy, meaningful, and constructive to speak up. Not just to protest, but to participate. Not just to vote, but to influence.
And the truth is, politicians are listening, when the voices come from millions, not just the loudest few.
We talked about bias in large language models, persuasive interfaces, and why even the most advanced AI is still built by human choices.
Alicia argues that if citizens aren’t part of that process, then democracy is no longer in the driver’s seat.
She makes a strong case for citizen assemblies on AI, and opens a bold conversation on tech governance, ethics, and what she calls “permanent democracy.”
Alicia also gets real about the tension between mission and money. She shares how Make.org balances values with sustainability, and how her team said no to a huge food industry campaign that clashed with their ethics.
“If we want big impact, we need big resources. But that doesn’t mean compromising who we are.”
At its core, this episode isn’t just about AI or politics. It’s about how we design the systems that shape our future, and who gets a say in that process.
It’s about reclaiming democracy as something we live, not something we wait for.
And it’s a reminder that even the most powerful technology is still made by human hands, and can be guided by human values.
If we want a future where tech serves the people, not the other way around, we need to start asking better questions.
This conversation is one of them.
🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify
📺 Watch it on YouTube
💬 Got thoughts? We’d love to hear how you think democracy should evolve in the age of AI.
We also make these conversations happen live, with you, with all of us.
That is why we are hosting a special live Unboxing event at Enpact HQ in Berlin on June 4, featuring Matthias Treutwein and Alicia Combaz.
Enpact and Make.org operate in different spaces but have the same mission.
One focused on entrepreneurship and development, the other on democracy and participation.
Both are working to empower people, to shift systems, and to rethink how lasting impact can be built and sustained in an increasingly fast-changing world.
In their own ways, Matthias and Alicia are confronting the same core question we started with: can you create real impact, and still make a living?
And their answers share something vital, a belief that the answer is yes, as soon as we are willing to rethink how we do things.
But this will not be a passive panel discussion.
At Unboxing the Future, the audience leads the show.
You will get the chance to ask your own questions and shape the conversation in real time.
This is an open dialogue between builders, dreamers, and doers who are asking the hard questions about the systems we live and work within.
🗓️ Date: June 4, 2025
📍 Location: enpact HQ, Berlin
🎟️ RSVP here
Take part in the conversation, come to the release events, suggest topics, meet the guests
