Fake crowds, real harm: how AI swarms threaten democracy | Daniel Thilo Schroeder | TEDxBratislava

Coordinated AI agents acting as a swarm could influence public opinion and democratic processes without a central leader. AI research scientist Daniel Thilo Schroeder examines how such collective systems might operate and what risks they could pose to society. The talk is presented as a TEDx event organized independently by a local community. The speaker's research suggests that malicious AI agents working together and without centralised control could quietly shape how people think and undermine democracy, possibly without being noticed.

• AI agents that connect and coordinate, rather than acting as isolated tools
• Possible effects of coordinated AI swarms on public opinion
• Risks to democracy from autonomous systems without central control
• Talk by Daniel Thilo Schroeder at TEDxBratislava

[EN] What happens when AI agents start to coordinate their actions? Daniel explores how swarms of AI agents working together could fundamentally impact our society and democracy. [SK] Čo sa stane, keď AI agenti začnú konať kolektívne? Daniel odhaľuje, aký dopad môžu mať koordinované roje AI agentov na našu spoločnosť a demokraciu. [SK] Daniel Thilo Schroeder, výskumník umelej inteligencie, skúma, čo sa stane, keď AI agenti prestanú konať ako jednotlivec. Dnes si predstavujeme AI ako niečo oddelené: jeden model, jedno rozhodnutie. No čo ak sa systémy začnú prepájať, koordinovať a konať spoločne? Nie ako nástroje, ale ako roj. Jeho výskum naznačuje, že táto kolektívna inteligencia môže nenápadne meniť verejnú mienku aj fungovanie demokracie. Bez lídra. Bez centra. Možno aj bez toho, aby sme si to všimli. [EN] Daniel Thilo Schroeder, an AI research scientist, studies what happens when AI agents stop acting like isolated entities. Today, we think of AI as standalone systems: one model, one decision. But what if AI agents start connecting, collaborating, and acting collectively? Not as tools, but as a swarm. His research suggests that coordinated malicious AI agents could quietly shape public opinion and undermine democracy. Working autonomously, without centralised control. Perhaps without us even noticing. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx