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Ali Ünal

Western media outlets and think tanks have warned that artificial intelligence (AI) could pose an existential threat to democracy. The early internet and digital communication tools helped disperse political power and strengthen public participation. But today’s advanced algorithms and data-driven systems are often seen as doing the opposite: centralising influence rather than fostering openness.
Another common fear is that AI-generated texts, images and voices could be weaponised to manipulate public opinion and interfere with elections.
These concerns are legitimate, yet they risk overshadowing a more uncomfortable and fundamental question: can Western-style liberal democracies still deliver prosperity and stability to their citizens, AI or not?
Democracy has never been humanity’s sole or universally perfect political model. For centuries, monarchies, empires, city-states and confederations shaped societies. Today’s multiparty representative democracies only became widespread in the late 19th century. Liberal democracy’s dominance in the West emerged largely post-war, sustained not only by freedoms but also by rapid economic growth and rising living standards.
From the 2000s, however, widening income inequality and the retreat of the welfare state began to undermine this foundation. In the United States, worsening wealth disparities, soaring healthcare and education costs, the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and 2021 Capitol riot all exposed deep cracks in the democratic system. In Britain, the 2016 Brexit referendum triggered years of political and economic uncertainty; the country has since had six prime ministers.
In France, the “yellow vest” movement that emerged in 2018 put inequality and rural stagnation at the centre of national debate. Polls tell a similar story. A Pew Research Centre survey of 12 high-income countries found satisfaction with democracy in the West has fallen sharply – from 49 per cent in 2021 to just 35 per cent this year. Populist movements on both the right and left have surged, fuelled by growing disillusionment.


Europe today faces a convergence of structural pressures: a slow-moving economic crisis, an ageing population and the loss of technological leadership to rising powers. These demographic and economic challenges threaten the sustainability of pension systems, healthcare and labour markets – making it even harder to generate prosperity.
The contrast with Asia is striking. While Europe debates fiscal austerity, countries such as China, India, South Korea and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are investing heavily in digital infrastructure, manufacturing capacity and education. The world’s centre of economic gravity is shifting eastward. For young Europeans entering the job market, enjoying higher living standards than their parents is no longer guaranteed.
This is the historical foundation of the legitimacy of Western liberal democracy. In this context, the governance model practised by China’s Communist Party – described as “socialism with Chinese characteristics” or a socialist market economy under one-party leadership – has attracted growing global attention.
Over the past four decades, it has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty and built the world’s second-largest economy. It is built on a meritocratic cadre structure and prioritises social stability and collective development over individual gain.
China is not alone in experimenting with alternative governance frameworks. Singapore, with its hybrid model of democratic participation and strong state-led planning, has long been cited as an example of Asian pragmatism. India, meanwhile, presents a different democratic experience – messy and contested, but increasingly confident in its ability to project economic and geopolitical weight. These variations remind us there is no single path to political legitimacy.


AI will transform societies everywhere. Its impact on labour markets, information ecosystems and national security will be profound. But the ultimate question for the West is not simply how AI will reshape democracy. It is whether liberal democracies can still inspire if they no longer deliver prosperity at home.
If democracy loses its ability to tangibly improve lives, then the strength of checks and balances or the right to free expression may not be sufficient to sustain legitimacy. The post-war order rested on a dual foundation: political freedoms and economic progress. If one erodes, the other becomes harder to defend. For readers in Asia, these debates are not abstract.
The health of Western democracy affects global markets, alliances and the balance of power. But it would be mistaken to see the world’s political evolution as a zero-sum competition between “Western democracy” and “Chinese socialism”.
Instead, we may be entering a more multipolar era in which diverse governance models coexist, compete and even learn from one another. Asian states have long shown that different combinations of state capacity, electoral representation and cultural traditions can produce legitimate and resilient outcomes.


The challenge for the West is therefore not only to regulate AI or manage elections, but to prove democracy can generate prosperity, security and hope for its citizens. If it cannot, its global appeal will continue to wane – regardless of how cleverly it adapts to new technologies.
Western democracies face a test far greater than AI: the erosion of the material and social foundations that gave the system its legitimacy. Addressing inequality, investing in future generations and displaying the capacity to deliver results will be far more decisive than any algorithm.
As history shows, political systems are never static; they evolve, influence and adapt. The question for our time is not whether one model will triumph globally, but whether each society can find a balance between freedom, stability and prosperity. Only by delivering on these core promises can democracies – indeed, all political systems – remain credible.


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Artificial intelligence (AI)

Western democracies are facing their greatest test – and it’s not AI

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A girl plays with a robot during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 28. Photo: AFP

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The challenge for the West is not just to regulate AI or manage elections, but to prove democracy can generate prosperity, security and hope


The challenge for the West is not just to regulate AI or manage elections, but to prove democracy can generate prosperity, security and hope.


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Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Western democracies are facing their greatest test – and it’s not AI

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The challenge for the West is not just to regulate AI or manage elections, but to prove democracy can generate prosperity, security and hope

The challenge for the West is not just to regulate AI or manage elections, but to prove democracy can generate prosperity, security and hope