Artificial intelligence is already shaping how organisations analyse information, plan activity, and communicate. For the Liberal Democrats, AI offers a practical way to work more effectively, engage members better, and understand voters more clearly, while remaining aligned with liberal values.
One of the most immediate applications is voting and demographic data. Parties collect large volumes of information through canvassing, surveys, and local engagement. AI can help analyse this data responsibly, identifying trends, emerging concerns, and under-represented voices. Used well, this supports inclusion and improves how policy and messaging reflect real community priorities.
AI also has a role in strengthening the internal functioning of the party at local and regional levels. Local parties and regional structures manage policy development, casework, campaigns, and member engagement, often under time pressure. AI tools can support learning, policy development, and administration by organising research, summarising consultations, assisting with drafting, and maintaining shared knowledge resources.
To address these opportunities and challenges, a proposed AO focused on artificial intelligence is being explored. This AO would act as a central hub to support members at all levels of the party. It would provide a safe and supportive environment for learning, where members can build understanding without fear of being challenged or exposed, while still encouraging thoughtful discussion.
The proposed AO would bring together educational resources, articles, working groups, round-table discussions, and white papers. It would also help connect local and regional parties, allowing experience and good practice to be shared more easily. Throughout, it would be guided by Liberal Democrat values, with a strong emphasis on ethics, transparency, and accountability.
This is not about automating political decision-making or replacing human judgement. It is about equipping members with better tools and clearer understanding, so decisions remain human, informed, and democratic.
Members who are interested in learning more, contributing ideas, or helping shape this proposed AO are invited to click this link and complete the short form. You will receive updates by email on discussions, resources, and opportunities to be involved.
* Sean Worrell is a digital advocate, AI enthusiast and Liberal Democrat member
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7 Comments
This sounds great. Last year when I was Cllr rep on the Federal Board , I asked the CEO to bring a paper on how the Party is using AI to the Board. I am glad to say that we are making good use of it .
“where members can build understanding without fear of being challenged or exposed” strikes me as a rather odd statement to make when proposing a new AO….
It sounds a good idea to have a group focused on how new technology can help us, but specifically making it about AI seems a bit restrictive. AI happens to be the current big tech fad that everyone is hyping about right now, but there’s no guarantee it’ll still be the hottest new technology in 5 or 10 years’ time. Wouldn’t it be better to keep the broad aims of the group, but for its remit to cover technology in general?
If you are have doing any form of data analysis on this data, you will have been using “AI”; remember “AI” is just statistical programming and analysis, the stochastic parrot has no intelligence.
Your idea of an AO hub is just organisational transformation and change something the big consulting companies were selling in the 1990s.
Going back too many years, I worked with people who were promoting CIM (Computer Integrated Manufacturing), they (and we laughed) as we actually sold very little CIM, but lots of other stuff like MRP – CIM just grabbed the headlines and got the C-Suite to ask consultants in to look at their organisation. from conversations with former colleagues at consulting companies it seems AI is the same trick…
@Simon Robinson – we already have LibSTEMM for that….
https://libstemm.uk/
Do you mean “AI” as in “a computer program with a marketing department” or do you mean “AI” as in “the specific computer programmes with marketing departments currently burning vast amounts of energy, stealing artists work, filling the web with unreliable slop, driving up the prices of consumer electronics, and producing bad maps of North England”?
Nowadays it’s important to be clear which you mean, I feel.
More generally the country needs to forge a concensus on where AI is potentially useful and where it is of no value and is potentially harmful. The Lib Dems could lead in promoting this progressive approach to this new technology. A middle of the road approach to this issue could also point to our poltical philosophy – a goldilox one.