Artificial intelligence: promises, perils—and political economy

The rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has prompted policymakers and political scientists alike to evaluate the (mis)uses of this technology for business and politics. On the one hand, political scientists are concerned that granting the state control over AI could render it an ultra-powerfu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFrench politics Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 152 - 163
Main Authors Chauhan, Musckaan, Perera, Isabel M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Palgrave Macmillan UK 01.06.2024
Palgrave Macmillan
Subjects
Artificial intelligence
Automation
Comparative Politics
European Politics
Governance
Markets
Political economy
Political power
Political Science
Political Science and International Relations
Political Science and International Studies
Political scientists
Politics
Review Article
Surveillance
Workers
AI governance
Political economy
Labor
Technology
Artificial intelligence
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Summary:The rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has prompted policymakers and political scientists alike to evaluate the (mis)uses of this technology for business and politics. On the one hand, political scientists are concerned that granting the state control over AI could render it an ultra-powerful agent for surveillance. On the other, granting the market control over AI might allow particular firms to displace states as sites of authority. A large body of work on “AI Governance” has hence burgeoned. What remains under analyzed are the political determinants under which states or markets may accumulate said power and what regulatory regimes might subsequently result. This article argues for introducing a macro-political economy approach to explain the perils of AI and to then craft equitable solutions. The construction of AI regulatory frameworks must be guided by how workers and firm preferences aggregate, as well as under what institutional constraints. We begin by giving an overview of existing literature. We then turn to the framework of comparative political economy to identify macro-level variations in AI development and regulation across countries. Finally, we emphasize how, unlike previous technologies of automation, AI impacts higher-income, non-routine workers and how this politics shapes contemporary discussions about AI governance.
ISSN:1476-3419
1476-3427
DOI:10.1057/s41253-024-00240-9