A few years ago, I would have laughed this idea off as pure nonsense 🙂 An AI running a country? Or even the whole planet! Sounds straight out of some trashy sci-fi flick. And yet… I’m exhausted. Truly exhausted with politicians of every stripe. After endless years of scandals, DIY promises with no manual, cheap soundbites, and political debates straight out of a reality-TV circus, I’m starting to wonder: Why not?

This article isn’t here to tell you what to think. I’m not here to sell you some miracle cure dressed up as open source either. The point is simply to throw a few ideas on the table and spark a debate that might just turn into one of the most fascinating of this century.

Definitions and nuances of the words Govern and Administer

Before we even get to Algocracy, we need to clear up two words that get mixed up way too often: Govern and Administer. On the surface they look like the same thing, but the gap between them is massive. That’s why it’s crucial to nail down their exact meaning before diving in.

To govern well is not to bully. Governing well means listening to everyone, weighing every opinion, looking at the facts on the ground, and checking everything against the Constitution. Only then can you make the best decision for the common good. By that definition, it’s pretty obvious today’s version of “governance” doesn’t even come close. Why? Because it’s done for the benefit of one political camp, which in turn serves a financial elite.

To administer is to enforce the shared rules day in, day out. It means making sure services actually work, that decisions stick, and that the whole system stays coherent and fair. In plain English: it’s running the community’s daily affairs while solving problems fairly and thoroughly. And that only works if individual rights and merit are actually recognized. Spoiler: that’s not what we’re seeing in our so-called democracies.

In the end, the two jobs can’t be separated: you govern to set the course, and you administer to keep the ship on track, for the best while steering clear of the worst.

State of play: modern politics is worse than a trash-TV circus

Corruption, lies, throwaway promises, constant aggression, election campaigns burning through millions while hospitals, schools, and essential services are starved of funds. Supposedly there’s “no money” for any of that, yet the State can waste astronomical sums to stage the pitiful spectacle of clowns yelling at each other while posing as our saviors. Pathetic doesn’t even begin to cover it.

And as if that weren’t bad enough, here’s a more recent twist: politics has gotten so vulgar you often have to shoo the kids away from the TV.

We’re living in an era where politics looks less like governance and more like bargain-bin reality TV. You could almost laugh, if the clowns running this circus weren’t steering us straight into a brick wall. Climate change, tech upheavals… on every major front they’ve got zero credible long-term vision, because polls call the shots. So policies end up in the hands of megalomaniacs obsessed with their selfie-image instead of real problems. Honestly? That’s terrifying. Don’t you think?

And as icing on this rotten cake, there’s no attempt to educate anyone. But really, how could they explain programs in detail when half of them would spark a mass revolt the second people actually understood them?

And heaven help you if you dare to protest. In a sick democracy, speaking out is treated like an act of reckless bravery. Do it, and a riot squad shows up in minutes, decked out with gear straight out of a war zone. Their mission? Shut down dissent with blind violence.

And despite what politicians and their obedient mouthpieces in the mainstream media claim, these units aren’t there to protect the people. They’re the last guard dogs of crooks trying to sell us “democracy” while we’re already neck-deep in a plutocracy. Which means this extreme violence isn’t some mistake, it’s a signal, a final warning to anyone daring to challenge a system on life support.

What’s the point of a politician, really?

Are politicians actually useful? What do they really bring to the table? Solid management skills? A brilliant vision? Some rare strategic genius? Or just the ability to surf public opinion, hoping to stay vaguely popular until the next election rolls around?

Take the Minister of Agriculture, for example. Does he really know anything about farming? Sometimes yes, but more often no. Either way, he leans on a small army of advisors and lobbyists to spell it out for him, which means his already shaky expertise is shaped by very bad influences.

Zoom out, and you could almost draw a medieval cartoon to show how outdated the system really is. The president? Basically a modern-day super-king. On one side, his voters cheering in the honeymoon phase, and on the other, everyone else hating his guts. The members of parliament? Local lords guarding their electoral fiefdoms. The senators? A so-called counterweight firmly welded into the system. Pretty much a council of barons sworn to defend the status quo at all costs.

And the result? Democracy is supposed to mean power to the people. But in reality, that power is hijacked by a political elite more obsessed with hanging onto their seats than solving anything that matters.

The Belgians gave us the perfect case study, a world record: 541 days without a government. And during all that time, trains ran, hospitals treated patients, taxes were collected, teachers kept teaching, life went on. It proved, crystal clear, that politicians aren’t essential to daily life. But if you’re in the market for a fan, they’re world-class at pumping out hot air.

Definition of Algocracy

Algocracy is a political system where national and regional policies are set by open-source algorithms under constant public audit. Their job is simple: uphold the Constitution, built on a charter of fundamental rights within a clear federal framework. Beyond that, unlike politicians who thrive on demagoguery, AI doesn’t meddle in culture wars or moral grandstanding. Its computing power is aimed squarely at collective management, based only on the resources that actually exist. From there, it approves or rejects projects from federal agencies based on real, demonstrated relevance. Two criteria only: justice and efficiency. Full stop.

With this system, no more absurd decisions dictated by the trend of the week. No more policies rammed through under pressure from the powerful for their private gain. And no more choices warped by financial speculation that has zero connection to ethics. Instead, AI’s processing power weighs the feasibility and usefulness of every project with precision. With no bias, it allocates resources fairly and sets priorities by rules that are clear, logical, and transparent. The result? Public money goes entirely to improving people’s lives and preparing for the future. Needless to say, that’s a level of efficiency and integrity no human can touch.

How does Algocracy work?

Algocracy rests on a clear and solid federal structure. At the top, the national level sets the main course, grounded in verified and publicly shared data. This AI allocates resources to approved projects within its scope, ensures security across the board, and coordinates major strategic initiatives. No space here for impulsive decisions or political whims, every choice is made on logic and reasoned criteria.

Regions, meanwhile, run on their own AI. They adapt and apply national decisions while factoring in their local realities, from geography and economy to climate and infrastructure. They can also pursue their own regional policies on matters that don’t need federal involvement, fully managing local administration. Strong regions, in other words, that ease the load on the federal level while still feeding into a shared vision.

But Algocracy can’t stop at national borders. We live on a planet facing common challenges, climate, health, energy, natural resources, collective security. And no state, no matter how powerful, can tackle these alone. That’s why global governance by an AI free from national interests would be the best shot at ending wars, dictatorships, climate chaos, and pandemics once and for all. This AI would coordinate international cooperation and distribute planetary resources with intelligence and fairness. In short, it would be a kind of super-UN, finally working the way it should.

Of course, I can already see nationalists falling off their chairs reading this. But honestly, I don’t have much sympathy for people whose only “philosophy” is being proud of the accident of their birthplace. Still, let them relax. This global AI wouldn’t touch languages, cultures, or local autonomy. And let’s be real, politics has no business meddling in culture anyway. A global AI should act only where the issues cross borders. So let’s be crystal clear, nobody’s coming to steal food off your plate. Because when standards of living are equal, it’s been proven over and over that most people prefer to stay where they were born. Proof? Homesickness, ring a bell? The goals here are simple: end the crises that force people to flee, and guarantee every human being a safe, fair, and sustainable place to live.

To balance that out, the municipality stays the living heart of governance. At this scale, residents decide everything that shapes their daily lives, from service organization and the use of public spaces to cultural choices. As long as the majority agrees and it fits the constitution, anything goes. The result? Stronger local power under the familiar setup of a mayor and a municipal council. At this scale, power isn’t abstract, it’s embodied by people you actually know. Maybe your neighbor. Maybe a family member. Maybe even you, if that’s your calling.

And to keep any form of totalitarianism at bay, direct democracy has to be the alpha and omega of these reimagined municipalities. Local referendums, citizens’ assemblies, open debates, these are the pillars of a true democracy. Everyone gets a voice.

And let’s be clear, in this setup, AI doesn’t dictate a thing. It’s just there to provide solid data and clear analysis. The final say stays with the people. The result? Real freedom, and the sense that power doesn’t belong to some distant elite, but to citizens who can actually make better use of it.

But wait, what exactly is an algorithm?

An algorithm isn’t magic. It’s just a method built on a series of precise steps to solve a problem or reach a goal. And it’s nothing new. We’ve been using them forever: a recipe, a medical protocol, even a workshop rulebook, they’re all algorithms because they spell out, step by step, how to get a reliable, repeatable result.

In computing, algorithms jump to a whole new level: they can crunch millions of data points in record time, test every possible option, strip away personal bias, and apply rules with perfect consistency. But here’s the catch, an algorithm doesn’t make up its own rules. It only runs the ones it’s given, inside a framework that has to be defined and transparent.

And that’s where Algocracy comes in. Instead of letting algorithms fuel private profit the way they do today, targeted ads, financial speculation, behavior manipulation, they’re turned toward the common good. Their rules aren’t written by shareholders or lobbyists, but by a public, auditable Constitution. That makes them neutral, consistent, and actually fair, tools able to judge what works best for everyone.

Security first: transparency, oversight, and safeguards

Algocracy only works if code security is absolute. That starts with one clear principle: all code has to be open source and open to audit by any citizen. No black boxes, no proprietary software with secrets locked away by a handful of insiders. Every line, every update, every parameter must be open to public scrutiny.

Then the legal framework has to be airtight. Political management algorithms would have to follow either a Constitution rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or a new citizen charter defined collectively. That makes it impossible to slip in some totalitarian or religious agenda under a tech disguise. Picture a youkist trying to sneak their rotten vision of society into the code, the attempt would be visible and immediately shut down by collective oversight.

Legitimate fears remain: the risk of dehumanization, algorithms packed with hidden bias, or manipulation by foreign powers. These worries can’t just be waved away. They demand constant vigilance: permanent independent audits, review by citizen bodies, public stress tests for robustness, and a legal requirement to track every single decision made by AI.

Security isn’t some accessory, it’s the bedrock of Algocracy. Without transparency, without citizen oversight, without hard safeguards, the system would lose legitimacy overnight.

First step toward Algocracy: freeing AI from billionaires and corporations

Today, artificial intelligence is basically held hostage by a handful of corporate giants. They sell you the illusion of “open source” with a few crumbs of code or crippled models tossed out on purpose. Some even brand themselves with names like Open AI, while being anything but open.

So don’t buy the act. The truth is, the machines running high-performance AI are locked away behind closed doors. Everything’s sealed off with proprietary licenses. It’s smoke and mirrors at its finest. On one hand, they hand researchers and hobbyists a few toys to play with. On the other, they hoard the real power, to sell overpriced services, strip-mine your data, and tighten billionaire monopolies.

Let’s be blunt: this situation is unbearable. A technology with the potential to radically reshape our societies cannot be left to profit logic, or to companies that only answer to their shareholders. And expecting governments to act as watchdogs? Just as delusional. They’re trapped in the same short-term election cycles and lobbyist chokeholds.

The only way forward is a clean break. The best option would be a 100% independent, non-profit global foundation. No governments, no multinationals pulling strings. Management would be handed to civil society reps, chosen democratically with strictly time-limited terms. And to prevent the same old power games, those mandates must be non-renewable, so the same faces don’t just rotate in and out like they do now.

And because every power needs a counterweight, this foundation would be kept in check by an international ethics committee enforcing a universal citizen charter.

Put all that together and you’ve got the backbone of a framework that makes sure AI stays beneficial for everyone. The bottom line? At the very least, it’s a concrete proposal, unlike the empty promises we get in today’s political programs on AI misuse.

And just to be clear, this isn’t about cheap fearmongering. The dangers of AI running off the leash are very real, and they could bring problems big enough to wipe us out as a species.

But let’s dream a little: what would AI in power look like?

With Algocracy, the giant economic casino finally shuts down. Right now, everything’s opaque: stock indexes jump up and down with no logic, traders bet on wheat or oil like it’s roulette, and the kicker is economists shamelessly insisting that infinite growth is possible on a finite planet.

Let’s be clear. If you actually understand this system, it’s probably because you’re one of the rare few who figured out how to milk it. And if you don’t? Relax, you’re not alone. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of, because the whole thing is engineered to be incomprehensible.

But with Algocracy, the script flips completely. The economy stops being a scammer’s playground and becomes something everyone can actually understand. Why? Because it’s based on real resources, not abstract bets. What we produce, what we trade, what we share. Period. Everything else is just fraud dressed up as finance.

Picture it: Algocracy is in place. You turn on the TV. And boom. The endless, sterile debates between career politicians are gone. No more one-liners looped to spark fake clashes. No more staged psychodramas draining everyone just to divide us further.

Instead, you see an economy that finally speaks a common language. The news doesn’t drip with anxiety anymore. Sure, tragedies, disasters, and bad luck will always happen, pretending otherwise would be dishonest. But solid governance would stop the predictable messes that wreck our lives from happening in the first place. And that flips the whole story: now we’re talking about real progress against climate change, medical breakthroughs saving lives, and scientific discoveries cracking open new doors. You might even catch yourself smiling at the evening news, because suddenly the future looks brighter than the present, if we’re willing to make the effort. Together.

And make no mistake, this shift toward genuine security isn’t luck. It happens naturally as fear recedes. And the key factor is fair resource sharing. Because when access to essentials is guaranteed, when justice stops being a lottery and becomes a rule, violence drops on its own. Big time.

So you can walk your city with less fear, because antisocial behavior isn’t constantly fueled by injustice and misery anymore. That doesn’t mean people suddenly turn into saints. It just means that without fighting for survival, the whole social climate cools down fast.

And with that, security grows naturally and no longer feeds the populists. At the same time, you’re no longer treated like a child or bombarded with divisive slogans. Instead of this democratic misery, you actually become an actor in how the world turns. And that’s the game changer.

The conclusion couldn’t be clearer: either we stick with a system sinking into complexity just to strip us bare, or we decide it’s time for a change. The choice is yours. Stagnation or progress? Your call.

Conclusion: What if we actually dared to debate it?

Well, this wasn’t an easy ride, that’s obvious. And I can already bet, without breaking a sweat, that plenty of you will be shocked at the idea of handing our future over to algorithms. But before you get mad or start throwing insults, keep one thing in mind: I’m nobody, and I have zero power to impose such a change. So breathe 🙂

And yes, part of this text is meant to be read with a second degree of humor. But don’t mistake it for a cheap provocation. The idea of Algocracy is, above all, a thought experiment, a way to spark a real debate about the sorry state of today’s political systems. And at the same time, it slaps politicians in the face by exposing both their lack of dignity and their total uselessness when it comes to tackling the challenges of this century.

So if, as I hope, you’ve caught those nuances, you’re warmly invited to join the discussion on the forum at NovaFuture. And why there instead of Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, or the rest? Great question! Thanks for asking 🙂 Because here, unlike on those platforms, you’re not treated as a product whose brain time is auctioned to the highest bidder. And of course, because NovaFuture is 100% free, genuinely friendly, and troll-free. If you value open minds and mutual respect, welcome aboard 🙂

One last thing: I really took my time to think through and write this piece. It’s the kind of complex topic that’s draining to tackle without making it heavy. So if this read gave you something valuable, please take 20 seconds to buy me a coffee on Buy Me a Coffee. In return, you can be sure it’ll fuel me to dive into even hotter topics soon. Thanks for sticking with me to the end, and see you soon for new adventures, with or without AI 😉