What can you do when experts can't be trusted? Draw lots. This episode examines the ancient practice of "sortition," which delegates decision-making power to random members of the public. Sometimes called "government by lottery," sortition is undergoing a revival today as tech companies (like Meta) and AI startups (like OpenAI and Anthropic) use the method to shape policies. We're joined by political scientists Bailey Flanigan (Harvard now, MIT next year) and Andrew Hall (Stanford).
with @baileyflan @ahall_research @rhhackett
Today we’re dusting off an ancient practice that has become trendy once again: the old-but-new idea of “sortition,” or selecting representatives by lottery.
Sortition was used in ancient Athenian democracy to elect public officials. It’s also been lately revived by tech companies like Meta and AI startups like OpenAI and Anthropic to tackle some of their thorniest policymaking challenges.
Our guests today are experts on sortition, including Bailey Flanigan, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard who is joining MIT as an assistant professor next year, and who has helped develop selection algorithms for sortition that are in use today. Also joining is Andrew Hall, Stanford University poli sci professor, advisor to Meta, and consultant to a16z crypto research.
In this episode, we discuss why not to rely exclusively on expert authority, how the process of deliberation changes people’s minds, and how sortition can apply everywhere from the governance of countries to the governance of crypto projects, and more.
Related resources:
As a reminder, none of the content should be taken as investment, business, legal, or tax advice. Please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information, including a link to a list of our investments.