Taiwan is a recognised global pioneer in civic-technology & participatory democracy. vTaiwan emerged after the Sunflower Movement in 2014 as an initiative from the g0v (gov-zero) community as a decentralized open consultation process that combines online and offline interactions, bringing together Taiwan’s citizens and government to deliberate on national issues. Since its introduction in 2014 it has been used in a number of ways to include citizen voices on important national issues such as regulating Uber. vTaiwan also experiments with novel uses of AI to facilitate consensus making with large-scale conversations. In 2023 vTaiwan was relaunched as a community-based project to tackle the challenge of creating inclusive AI.

vTaiwan core contributor and legal scholar Peter Jiawei Cui joined our monthly meetup, on a visit to Chiang Mai in January 2025, to share Taiwan’s experience with vTaiwan and civic tech enabled digital democracy.

In this presentation we covered:

• Origins of vTaiwan in the 2014 Sunflower Movement
• structure of vTaiwan vis-a-vis the government
• Policy Impact: Regulating Uber with Digital Deliberation
• Use of Digital Tools for Deliberation
• vTaiwan’s scaling challenge: lack of Institutionalization & Public Awareness and large scale participation
• The importance of face-to-face dialogue and inperson community gatherings
• vTaiwan’s future plans to create a public dialogue for democratic uses of AI

The presentation was held at 4seas Nimman as part of our regular series of local meetups in Chiang Mai that brings together experts in the field and local communities together in dialogue and collaborative learning.

The following summary is generated using AI based on the transcript of the presentation. For accuracy we suggest watching the presentation.

What is vTaiwan and why is it relevant for democracy?

vTaiwan is a decentralized digital consultation platform designed to bridge the gap between citizens, government, and stakeholders in policymaking. It was launched after the 2014 Sunflower Movement, where students occupied the Taiwanese parliament to protest a trade bill passed in less than a minute without proper discussion. This movement demonstrated the lack of transparency and public engagement in governance, prompting the creation of vTaiwan as a civic tech-driven alternative for more inclusive decision-making.

Peter describes vTaiwan’s core function as bringing together “citizens, government agencies, scholars, and industry representatives to deliberate on national policies in a transparent, community-driven way.” (15:09) The platform is unique because it incorporates both digital tools and in-person deliberations, using methods like Polis for public sentiment analysis, live-streamed discussions, and collaborative note-taking. These tools help in “visualizing people’s different opinions” and structuring public input into actionable policy recommendations. (26:25)

What is one of vTaiwan’s most significant case studies?

One of vTaiwan’s most significant successes was its role in resolving the Uber policy debate in Taiwan. When Uber first entered Taiwan, it disrupted the traditional taxi industry, creating tensions between Uber drivers, traditional taxi drivers, and regulators. vTaiwan facilitated a public deliberation process that gathered input from over 4,000 participants, helping visualize the divide between two major stakeholder groups—Uber supporters and traditional taxi drivers.

Peter explained how the digital consultation process helped structure the debate:

“The core question was whether Uber should be regulated the same way as traditional taxi services or treated as a technology platform. Through vTaiwan, we mapped out the different perspectives, used Polis to analyze public sentiment, and held face-to-face meetings to finalize the consensus.” (26:22)

The deliberative process ultimately led to new regulatory frameworks that balanced innovation and fair competition, ensuring that Uber could operate legally while addressing concerns from traditional taxi drivers.

What did we learn from vTaiwan’s experience with digital tools?

vTaiwan’s experience suggests that hybrid models—combining digital deliberation with real-world engagement—are key to effective consensus-building in governance.

“We use a range of digital tools to facilitate deliberation, like Polis for mapping public opinion, collaborative notes for transparency, and AI-powered transcription to analyze discussions. These technologies help structure large-scale input, visualize consensus, and make public participation more accessible. But despite these advantages, online tools alone aren’t enough. In-person meetings remain crucial because organic discussions and spontaneous insights often emerge face-to-face—something digital platforms struggle to replicate. Deliberation isn’t just about collecting opinions; it’s about creating understanding, and that happens best when people engage directly, in real space, with diverse perspectives.”

Why did vTaiwan struggle to grow despite these examples?

While vTaiwan proved that digital tools can facilitate democratic deliberation, its challenges highlight the need for institutional support, public outreach, and decentralized leadership to sustain digital democracy initiatives.

Unlike Taiwan’s legally mandated “Join” platform, vTaiwan is not required by the government, making its adoption inconsistent. Peter explained:

“Government agencies are not obligated to use vTaiwan, so whether it’s adopted depends on individual public servants pushing for it.” (47:00)

Even at its peak, vTaiwan had only a few thousand active participants—a small fraction of Taiwan’s 23 million people. vTaiwan has relied heavily on government figures like Audrey Tang to promote it, rather than building grassroots awareness. Peter emphasized the need for community partnerships and local engagement to increase participation.

What are vTaiwan’s future plans around AI governance?

Going forward, vTaiwan is focusing on AI governance and using AI tools to enhance democratic participation. In 2023, vTaiwan was one of 10 global teams selected for the OpenAI Democratic Input to AI initiative, which provided funding for community-driven AI deliberations.

We use Polis to analyze public sentiment, but now we’re integrating generative AI to summarize discussions and visualize key themes, making it easier for people to engage.” To combat online polarization, vTaiwan is launching “Social Issue Meetups”, blending AI-driven online discussions with in-person deliberation. “We need to combine AI-powered tools with face-to-face conversations. Real discussions happen when people meet in person, share food, and talk freely—AI can help structure those conversations, but it can’t replace them.”

vTaiwan is partnering with NGOs like TWNIC (Taiwan’s Internet Governance Body) to ensure that AI discussions influence actual policymaking:

Peter Jiawei Cui is a Masters Student at NTU Law and Research Assistant at both NTU Law and FTC, while also serving as legal counsel at MaiCoin, Taiwan’s leading crypto exchange. With a four-year track record as a dedicated contributor to g0v, Peter has played multiple roles including lecturing at sch001, hosting the g0v podcast, and leading the program team for g0v Summit 2024. As a vTaiwan contributor, he has been instrumental in reviving the vTaiwan community and participating in the OpenAI Democratic Input to AI initiative.

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