The emergence of AI represents a frontier in political science, forcing the discipline to rethink how it studies and learns. AI is reshaping research agendas across subfields - comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public policy, and more - while also questioning its role in shaping governance systems, citizen-state relations, and global power dynamics. From a methodological point of view, AI also offers new tools for processing massive datasets, extracting patterns from complex phenomena, and simulating political behaviour with high precision. Education is also undergoing a similar transformation, with AI opening up new possibilities for course design and fostering more direct, personalised interactions between teachers and learners. In short, political science is called upon to redefine itself in the new landscape, building on its strong theoretical and methodological foundations.
Such changes raise profound questions: what will be the real impact of AI on the future of political science? How and to what extent is it adapting its subjects to the digital revolution? Are AI-driven methods reshaping how we produce and define valid knowledge in political science? How can political scientists critically engage with algorithmic tools? In what ways is AI transforming political science education, and how might it improve teaching and learning in the discipline?
This roundtable will convene leading scholars and practitioners to explore the methodological innovations, theoretical implications, and normative challenges posed by the integration of AI into political science.
In line with IPSA鈥檚 mission to promote the global advancement of political science, the roundtable will adopt a cross-regional and interdisciplinary perspective, that will be invited in a broad and critical dialogue about the opportunities and challenges that AI presents to Political Science worldwide.
