The infernal heat of these days in Catalonia should not make us lose the spirit to think about the deepest issues. On the contrary, summer is always a good time to review the long-term horizon with a little more distance and serenity. One of the deep questions is how we can improve our democracy, this “continuous journey,” as the great John Dewey called it. The question can be approached, obviously, in multiple ways. Today I will focus on one of its most important dimensions: citizen participation at the local or municipal level, which is the most natural, accessible, and easy-to-organize form of political participation, and for which we have no excuse not to allow and widely promote it. This connects with the recent adoption of the citizen participation plan for the city of Barcelona for 2026-2028. Take a sip of your favorite wine, beer, or soda and join me for a quick look.

This article is about the important Global AI Summit held in Paris last week, where the need for true global governance of AI guided by universal ethical principles and values was highlighted. But it is also about what was not said as much in Paris, but is decisive at the moment: the need to subject AI to democratic control.