Many Europeans Want to See Politicians Replaced by AI. It's Not a Bad Idea
We've heard the threat of AI taking over our jobs for years. The World Economic Forum reported that secretaries, accountants, and factory workers were the most in danger of losing their jobs to robots and AI in the next five years. News of robots taking over our jobs always stirs the public, but what if was lawmakers' jobs on the line instead of the regular folk? That news might not be as unwelcome as some might think.
Researchers at the IE University's Center for the Governance of Change in Spain found that, from the 2,769 people surveyed from 11 countries, 51 percent of European respondents are in favor of replacing lawmakers with AI, despite the limitations of such technology. In China, over 75 percent are in favor of AI parliamentarians, while in the U.S., only 40 percent are in favor.
AI isn't perfect and deals only in numbers and algorithms. But compared to graft, corruption, and lack of transparency, it might not be a bad idea, especially now, during an era of hyper-politicization, polarization, and misinformation.
“Everyone’s perception is that that politics is getting worse and obviously politicians are being blamed so I think it (the report) captures the general zeitgeist,” according to Oscar Jonsson, academic director at IE to CNBC.
Of those surveyed, it appears Gen Z and millennials are more open to algorithms replacing lawmakers compared to older generations.
Jonsson pointed out that aside from the "decades long decline of belief in democracy," the fact that most people don't have a relationship with their lawmakers contributed to many being in favor of AI.
If you think about it, what difference would a robot make? And would an algorithm have political agenda?
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