01
Scope and approach
This landscape focuses on AI as an opportunity for democratic resilience rather than as a threat. Research on AI's risks to democracy is important but relatively well-covered; this project takes a complementary angle, mapping the organizations harnessing AI to strengthen democratic institutions rather than those solely working to mitigate its harms. In practice the two are often connected, and some organizations in this dataset do both; they are included where their democratic resilience angle is meaningful.
This dataset began with an LLM-generated longlist of organizations based on the inclusion criteria below, which was then manually verified and curated entry by entry. Organizations were assessed for activity, U.S. focus, and relevance to democratic resilience, and refined further through cross-referencing with existing resources and conversations with practitioners. The dataset is not comprehensive but aims to be a useful, curated snapshot of the field as of April 2026.
02
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
| Criterion | Include | Exclude |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic resilience focus | Works to build, strengthen, or protect one or more of the six focus areas | Focuses solely on AI as a harm to be mitigated, with no affirmative democratic resilience angle |
| U.S. focus | Primary or exclusive U.S. focus, or a documented U.S. program directly relevant to U.S. democratic institutions | Headquartered in the U.S. but no meaningful U.S. program; global initiative with no U.S.-specific work |
| Actor type | Civil society organizations, coalitions, and academic institutions | Federal government agencies; organizations that are primarily funders |
| Access | Free or open access to tools, research, or resources | Tools or services that are primarily commercial, paywalled, or require a client relationship |
| Activity | Active as of April 2026, with updates shared on the organization's webpage or social media channels within the last six months | Defunct or inactive organizations |
03
AI use
Each organization is coded for whether AI is part of its theory of change (core programming) for democratic resilience, rather than its internal operations. An organization using an AI-powered deliberation platform is coded differently from one using an LLM to review grant applications; the former is using AI as a tool to achieve its core goals, the latter is not.
For the purposes of this dataset, AI refers to machine learning-based techniques — including large language models, natural language processing, and computer vision — that enable pattern recognition, prediction, content generation, or data analysis at a scale or quality not achievable through conventional software. Basic digital tools, rule-based automation, and standard databases do not qualify.
04
Focus areas
Organizations are categorized by their predominant work within one or more of six focus areas, each representing a distinct way of strengthening democratic resilience. Learn more on the Focus Areas page.