The problem
Policy questions involve competing values, uncertain outcomes, and affected populations with different priorities. A single AI gives you a balanced-sounding analysis that often splits the difference without actually engaging with the hard tradeoffs. Real policy analysis requires genuine advocacy for different positions.
How Consium solves it
Consium assigns advocate personas who genuinely argue for different stakeholder positions: a constitutional scholar examines legal precedent, an economist models incentive structures, an ethicist weighs fairness implications, and a community advocate represents affected populations. The debate reveals genuine tensions rather than papering over them.
Example walkthrough
Topic submitted:
What are the second-order effects of implementing a universal basic income?
- 1
Analysts identify dimensions: labor market effects, fiscal sustainability, social welfare, entrepreneurship, inflation risk, and political feasibility.
- 2
An economist presents models showing labor supply reduction of 5-10% based on existing experiments; a behavioral economist argues the entrepreneurship effects offset this.
- 3
An ethicist challenges whether labor market effects are even the right metric, reframing around human dignity and capability.
- 4
Observers flag that most cited UBI experiments are too small and short to predict systemic effects.
- 5
Adversarial review forces consideration of implementation challenges: bureaucratic resistance, phase-in effects, and interaction with existing welfare programs.
Sample report excerpt
First-order effects are moderately predictable: modest labor supply reduction (5-10%), increased entrepreneurship attempts (15-20%), and significant administrative simplification. Second-order effects are where consensus broke down. The panel split on: (1) whether reduced labor coercion leads to more productive job matching or sustained unemployment, (2) whether landlords capture UBI through rent increases in supply-constrained housing markets, and (3) whether political sustainability requires universal payment or targeting. Three personas recommend phased pilot programs in varied economic zones before national implementation.