And how are we supposed to make sure that this democratic process isn't undermined by those with more wealth/resources, in the way that our "democratic" country has been?? Won't the wealthy just hijack/corrupt the process for their own purposes the way they do to everything else?

How are human beings supposed to properly align AI when we can't even get our shit together and properly manage states or the country in general? People don't know what the fuck they're doing or the unintended consequences of their actions.