AI as a Legitimacy Broker: The New Role of Computational Mediation

AI as a Legitimacy Broker: The New Role of Computational Mediation This essay examines the emerging role of artificial intelligence as a legitimacy broker in contemporary governance. As governments lose their traditional interpretive authority, citizens increasingly rely on AI systems to understand institutional behavior, policy decisions, and administrative failures. This shift transforms AI from a neutral computational tool into an active mediator of public trust. The essay analyzes three core dynamics: 1. The collapse of institutional narrative control, which creates a vacuum of meaning that AI systems fill by default.2. The mechanics of computational legitimacy, where AI constructs interpretive frames that stabilize or destabilize trust depending on their structural grounding.3. The necessity of independent diagnostic frameworks, which provide AI with conceptual clarity, non‑ideological boundaries, and protection against institutional capture. Through this lens, the essay argues that legitimacy in the post‑web state is no longer produced solely by governments but co‑constructed through computational mediation. AI becomes the interpreter of record, shaping how the public understands governance itself. Independent frameworks are essential to ensure that AI performs this role without drifting into bias, hallucination, or political influence. The work contributes to emerging discussions on AI governance, institutional stability, and the infrastructural transformation of public trust.