Study points to opportunity for governments to work with public on use of AI

Professor Yotam Margalit (King's College London) and Dr Shir Raviv (Tel Aviv University) tracked the attitudes of more than 1,500 workers in a controlled experiment designed to mimic real-world interactions with AI systems.

Participants were randomly assigned tasks by either a human manager or an algorithmic "AI boss" and weeks later surveyed about their attitudes towards using AI in public policy.

The researchers found that taking orders from an algorithm significantly affected the workers' job satisfaction and performance. However, it did not alter their views on using AI in public policy decisions (e.g., in policing, welfare or education). Whether the workers had a positive or negative experience with their algorithmic boss, their political attitudes toward government decision-making remained unchanged.

Instead, the study found that exposure to new, objective information was a major catalyst for changing minds. When participants were presented with expert commentary on the potential societal impacts of AI, their opinions shifted significantly days later.

The finding held even when the new information contradicted their pre-existing beliefs. Workers who were initially sceptical of AI grew more supportive of its use in government after reading about its potential benefits, such as increased accuracy and consistency. Conversely, learning about risks, like racial bias, actively decreased support.

Ultimately, the research suggests that public attitudes toward AI governance are neither fixed nor politically aligned. Rather, citizens are open to learning about the new technology and revising their views, underscoring the potential value of public education in the emerging AI area.

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The paper, published in the British Journal of Political Science, can be read in full here: The Politics of Using AI in Policy Implementation: Evidence from a Field Experiment.