What is Waves?
Waves is a new model for local democratic participation using civic technology that helps local councils make difficult decisions by putting residents at the heart of the process.
Waves works in a distinctive way: we move between scale and depth, repeatedly. We start by reaching a large number of residents to understand the range of views and experiences across a community. We then bring a smaller, representative group together for in-depth deliberation, where they explore the issue properly and develop considered findings. Those findings are tested back at scale with the wider community, and what emerges feeds into a further phase of deeper deliberation where the smaller group refines their conclusions. Finally, those conclusions are shared with the council and wider community.
We created Waves because we believe that it is only through a repeated process of meaningful conversation at both scale and depth that you can produce insights that are both rigorous and legitimate.
Why do we use technology?
Deliberative democracy methods, like Citizens’ Assemblies, are excellent ways of enabling people to get involved in decision making. But they are incredibly expensive (upwards of £250k) and don’t involve many people (usually between 25-100 people). Without technology, running a process that reaches thousands of residents, selects a representative panel, and produces trustworthy analysis would be prohibitively expensive for most councils.
Technology is what makes Waves viable at the scale local government needs.
We use technology to enable residents to engage asynchronously, capture and analyse large volumes of qualitative input quickly and accurately, make participation accessible to people who cannot attend in person, and support councils to run Waves independently over time.
Technology is a means to better decision-making, not an end in itself. We do not adopt tools because they are new or impressive. We adopt them when they help residents participate, and/or because it enables the councils to involve more people more meaningfully in their policy making
Our Commitment to Using Technology Ethically
Every technology decision we make in Waves is guided by a clear set of commitments. These apply to all tools, digital or AI-powered.
We will choose platforms that are:
- Purpose-built for democratic purposes – designed for consensus-building and public engagement, not market research
- Accessible to participants and staff – meeting accessibility standards and usable by council teams with varying levels of technical knowledge and skills
- Affordable – viable for councils with limited budgets and free for participants
- Open-source – or working to become open-source, so they can be audited and no one is locked into proprietary systems
- Understandable – we can describe how they work in plain language to participants and councils
- Where possible, EU/UK-based – to simplify GDPR compliance and data protection due diligence
What we will and won’t do
| We will
Be transparent about every tool we use. Residents will always be told what technology is operating, what it does, and how their contributions are being processed. We publish our tools and methods publicly. |
| We will
Verify that tools are working as intended before and during use. We actively monitor for errors and performance issues throughout every programme. |
| We will
Assess the tools we choose against accessibility standards. |
| We won’t
Use technology that we cannot explain to participants. If we cannot describe clearly what a tool does and why we are using it, we will not use it. |
| We won’t
Use a feature we cannot verify is accurate. If a tool’s output cannot be checked and validated by the Waves team, we will not use it. |
| We won’t
Let technology replace human judgement. All significant outputs from any tool are reviewed by the Waves team before they inform analysis or reporting. |
Using AI
AI warrants particular attention. There is a lot of public concern around AI and we take that seriously. Unlike most digital tools, AI systems can operate in ways that are not immediately understandable to most people, may reflect biases in the data they were trained on, and can produce outputs that appear authoritative but are not always accurate. For these reasons we apply additional scrutiny to any AI feature used in Waves.
We promise to work closely with any council who uses the Waves model to ensure that it complies with their AI Ethics Policy.
Example
One of our engagement platforms in our first trial included a feature that used AI to predict how participants would vote on ideas they hadn’t seen. The council had concerns about AI making this decision on behalf of participants. We tested it and found the predictions were unreliable, so we didn’t use the feature.
How we assess tools
- We check every tool against our commitments before it is used in any Waves programme, including accessibility compliance, data residency, and the specific features being enabled.
- Where a council’s data protection officer has requirements, these are addressed before deployment.
- Our independent AI Ethics Board, made up of external experts, advises on how best to assess AI tools for use in democratic innovation.
- Decisions are documented and available for review.
Who is responsible?
Ultimate responsibility for technology decisions in Waves sits with Demos leadership. Council officers are responsible for ensuring Waves’ use of technology aligns with their own internal policies and obligations. Our independent AI Ethics Board, made up of external experts, provides advice and guidance and reviews our decision log. This policy is approved by the Waves board, which receives regular updates on technology decisions and incidents.
Each council partner retains the right to approve or reject any tool used in their Waves programme. Where a council’s data protection officer or internal policies impose additional requirements, these must be taken into account. Waves needs to work for councils and residents first and foremost.
What technology do we use?
Waves uses the following tools across its four stages:
Comhairle
A platform developed by CrownShy that brings together a set of open source tools for online deliberation. It uses Pol.is, an open source consensus-mapping tool, to enable residents to share ideas and vote on one another’s contributions. Pol.is uses bridge-based ranking to surface ideas with the broadest consensus across different groups, prioritising ideas that bring people together over simple majority votes.
dembrane
An AI transcription and analysis tool developed by Dembrane used during in-depth deliberation sessions (stages 2 and 4). It transcribes discussions in real time and supports thematic analysis, allowing the project team (made up of representatives from Waves and the council) to process large volumes of qualitative input accurately and efficiently.
Councils have a choice of video platform depending on their preference. The Waves team works closely with the council to assess which is best suited to their requirements.
Zoom
A cloud-based communication and productivity platform, used for video meetings.
You can find more detailed information about how each of these tools works in our FAQ section.
How does this affect you?
Waves has been designed to give you a more meaningful say in decisions that affect your area. Every part of the process, including the technology, is there to make your participation count.
Across all four stages of Waves, technology helps us reach more people, capture what participants say more accurately, and identify where there is genuine consensus across different groups. At the at-scale stages it enables thousands of residents to contribute and have their ideas heard. At the in-depth stages it means your deliberations are transcribed and analysed properly, so nothing gets lost.
We are transparent about where and how AI is used at each stage. Any AI involvement in your session will be explained to you before you participate, and human oversight is maintained throughout.
Your personal data is handled securely and will not be shared beyond the council and its Waves partners, except where required by law. You can ask questions about how your data is used at any time contact details will be provided at the start of your participation.
FAQ
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
What is Waves?
Waves moves between at-scale and in-depth engagement in sequence, multiple times. At-scale stages reach thousands of residents; in-depth stages bring a smaller, representative group together for structured deliberation. Most engagement processes do one or the other. Waves does both to produce findings that are both rigorous and broadly legitimate.
Waves also uses digital technology throughout, which makes the process more affordable, more transparent, and open to more people than traditional face-to-face or online methods alone.
What will I be asked to do?
At the at-scale stages, you will be asked to share your views on a policy question and respond to ideas shared by other residents. This takes no more than 15 minutes and can be done at any time over a 2-4 week window. No prior knowledge of the topic is required.
If you are taking part in the in-depth stages, you will join a representative panel of around 50 residents for structured discussion and deliberation over several sessions (8-12 hours per stage, 16-24 hours in total). You will hear from experts and people with lived experience, and work with other participants to develop recommendations. If you’re taking part in the in-depth stages, you will be paid for your time.
What if I am not confident using technology?
Waves is designed to be as accessible as possible regardless of your familiarity with technology. We’re always looking for ways to make participation easier and welcome feedback on how we can do better. Support is available at each stage of the process for anyone who needs it, and we work with councils to explore options like library access or community centre support where that would help.
Will this replace existing ways of engaging with the council?
No. Waves is intended to add to, not replace, existing ways of engaging with your council. It provides an additional opportunity to shape local decisions, including for people who cannot easily attend in-person meetings.
ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY
What tools are used and what do they do?
Waves is currently using two core tools, as well as Zoom to run the small group sessions.
Comhairle (provided by CrownShy)
Comhairle is used at the at-scale stages: it is built on Pol.is, an open source consensus-mapping tool. Residents share ideas and vote on one another’s contributions, and Pol.is uses bridge-based ranking to identify where there is broad consensus across different groups. This means ideas that bring people together are prioritised over those that simply win a majority vote.
What is bridge-based ranking?
When you vote on ideas in Pol.is, the platform is tracking not just whether you agree or disagree, but which other participants tend to vote the same way as you. Over time it builds a picture of different groups: people who see things similarly “cluster” together.
Bridge-based ranking then looks for ideas that get strong support across those different clusters, not just within one of them. An idea that lots of people in every group like scores higher than an idea that one group loves but another group hates, even if the raw number of votes is the same.
The result is that the ideas which move forward are ones with the broadest possible base of support, not just the ones that won a simple majority.
dembrane is used at the in-depth stages for transcription and analysis of deliberation sessions.
dembrane uses AI as an intelligent organising tool to help make sense of what participants share during engagement sessions. Think of it like having a very thorough assistant who can listen to hours of conversations and help identify the common themes, concerns, and ideas that emerge from the group.
But instead of creating new content, the AI carefully organises and presents what people actually said. When discussions are recorded, the AI processes both the audio transcripts and written contributions to spot patterns, group similar viewpoints together, and highlight the collective wisdom that already exists within the community.
Is AI making decisions about the policy?
No. AI is used to help process and summarise what residents say, and to identify where there is consensus across different groups. All AI outputs are reviewed by the Waves team before they inform any analysis. The findings that go to the council are produced by humans, informed by the deliberation.
Is AI influencing what I see or steering the conversation?
The short answer is, yes, a bit.
In Comhairle (at-scale stages): Bridge-based ranking prioritises ideas with broad support across different groups. This means you’re more likely to see ideas that people with different perspectives agreed on, rather than just the most popular ideas overall. This is intentional: it helps surface common ground that might otherwise be missed.
In dembrane (in-depth stages): Your facilitator may use AI-generated analysis of the discussion to reflect back themes and patterns to the group in real time. This helps ensure everyone’s contributions are captured and considered. The facilitator decides what to share and how – AI supports their judgment, it doesn’t replace it.
The questions themselves are designed by humans. AI is used to group responses and identify consensus patterns, and to transcribe discussions.
Can I participate on my phone?
For the at scale stages, yes. You can participate on any device with an internet connection: phone, tablet, or computer.
For the in-depth stages, you will join a video call and it is preferable that you join from a larger device, as you may also be asked to respond to a poll or answer a question in written format. If this is a barrier to your participation, the project team will work with you to see what solutions might be available.
ABOUT YOUR DATA
Who is responsible for my data?
Your council is the data controller: meaning they are responsible for how your data is collected and used. Demos acts as data processor on the council’s behalf, and the technology providers (Crownshy and dembrane) act as sub-processors under Demos. This means your data is handled under a clear chain of responsibility, with the council ultimately accountable.
What data is collected and why?
At the at-scale stages, you can participate without sharing any personal information. If you wish to be considered for the in-depth stage or enter a prize draw, you will be asked for your name and email address, and some demographic details to help ensure the panel is representative. You will be asked for your consent before any personal data is collected.
Your contributions, the ideas and views you share, are recorded and transcribed to enable analysis. This data is anonymised before it is used in reporting.
Who will see my data?
Your data will only be shared with the council and the Waves partner organisations involved in delivering the programme (Demos, Crownshy, Dembrane, and the Sortition Foundation where relevant). It will not be shared with anyone else, except where required by law.
How long is my data kept?
Personal data will be stored for a maximum of two years after the deliberation concludes, on an encrypted system. After this it will be deleted. If you withdraw your consent at any point, your individual data will be deleted at that time.
Will my contributions be used to train AI systems?
We recognise the points raised by the UK data protection regulator, the ICO, around certain types of AI techniques. The main point is that AI “learning” techniques can mean that individuals lose control over how their personal data is used, because once an AI “learns” from a piece of data that data can exist within the AI models themselves. You can read more about this (and the use of AI more generally) here.
To address this point, we have ensured that your personal data will not be used to permanently “train” (part of the AI learning process) AI models.
Will my results be published?
Yes: the findings from each stage will be published publicly after the deliberation. This may come in different formats, depending on the topic. Contributions are anonymised and aggregated, so no individual’s contribution can be identified.
We might ask you for feedback about how you found the experience. We will always ask for explicit permission if we want to share a quote of something you’ve said.