How Institutions Listen
Civic Data, AI, and the Path to Public Trust
$109.51
- Paperback
184 pages
- Release Date
10 November 2026
Summary
The current public engagement model has run its course. Governments are collecting vast amounts of civic data but lack the capacity to process it effectively, hindering genuine representation.
In How Institutions Listen, Eric Gordon presents a solution: human-centered AI. By marshaling civic data with AI, we can make sense of it, act upon it, and rebuild public trust.
The book introduces “listening at scale,” an institutional ability to not only gather public input bu…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780262055925 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0262055929 |
| Author: | Eric Gordon |
| Publisher: | MIT Press Ltd |
| Imprint: | MIT Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 184 |
| Release Date: | 10 November 2026 |
| Weight: | 369g |
| Dimensions: | 152mm x 229mm |
| Series: | Strong Ideas |
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Critics Review
“At the core of democracy is a thorny problem: How do governments listen to their citizens? Eric Gordon offers answers that no one else has, based on a deeply helpful rethinking of how communication works in the age of AI.”
—Ethan Zuckerman, Director, Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure and Associate Professor, UMass Amherst; author of Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them
“Hearing the humanity in others is what allows organizations, communities, and democracies to function—and in an age of limitless voice, we lack the infrastructure to do it. This book serves as a clear, humane guide to building that capacity.”
—Deb Roy, Professor and Director, Center for Constructive Communication, MIT
“Clear-eyed about technology’s dangers but hopeful about its promise, this book reframes what public engagement could look like in the age of AI.”
—Seth C. Lewis, Elcan Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished Professor of AI and Media Studies, University of Virginia; coauthor of News After Trump
Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon is a professor in the College of Communication and Director of the Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact at Boston University.
His books include:
- Meaningful Inefficiencies
- The Urban Spectator
- Net Locality
He is the author of over 50 articles and chapters on media and urbanism and the coeditor of:
- Civic Media
- Ludics
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