Enter the matrix: Examining the psychosocial determinants of support for a technocracy of artificial intelligence

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands as the most transformative technology since the Industrial Revolution. As AI is integrated into different domains of life, it is likely to also permeate politics. In fact, some voices already advocate for AI to make political decisions. This paper emphasizes the necessity to delve into the psychosocial determinants shaping support for supporting a technocracy of AI (TecAI). The research aims to ascertain whether anomie, moderated by NCC and SDO, predicts support for TecAI across three studies involving Spanish participants (Ntotal = 754). The findings confirm anomie's predictive power on support of TecAI, albeit without establishing causality consistently, as anomie's condition failed to alter support for TecAI in experiments 2 and 3. However, an exploratory analysis showed a small effect of the subdimension of “breakdown of leadership” on support for TecAI in a directional test, informing future research. Moreover, NCC and SDO did not significantly moderate the anomie-support-for-TecAI link. Ideology also emerged as a consistent predictor, with conservatives consistently showing more support, a finding that ought to be re-examined and clarified. This study marks an initial empirical exploration into AI's political perceptions, hinting at the need for further investigation into this critical domain.