How elites could shape mass preferences as AI reduces persuasion costs (arxiv.org)

Article summary

The article discusses how advances in AI-driven persuasion could enable elites to shape public opinion more effectively, potentially leading to increased polarization in societies. Historically, elites have used limited instruments like schooling and mass media to secure mass support, but AI reduces the cost and increases the precision of shaping public opinion. The authors develop a dynamic model to analyze how elites might use AI to reshape the distribution of policy preferences. This could have significant implications for democratic stability as AI capabilities advance.

Main themes

• AI-driven persuasion
• Elite influence on public opinion
• Polarization in societies
• Democratic stability
• Mass media and schooling

What commenters say

• The ability of AI to reduce persuasion costs could democratize persuasion, allowing more players to influence public opinion.
• Elites have historically used various means to control public opinion, and AI is just another tool in their arsenal.
• The idea that hunter-gatherer societies were egalitarian and peaceful is not supported by archaeological evidence, and human history has always been marked by conflict and inequality.
• The emergence of AI-driven persuasion could lead to a shift away from traditional mass media and schooling as means of shaping public opinion.
• The notion that humans have always lived in feudalistic societies with a small elite owning all the wealth is not accurate, and there is evidence of more egalitarian societies in the past.
• The use of AI to shape public opinion raises concerns about the potential for manipulation and the erosion of democratic stability.
• The relationship between AI, persuasion, and societal polarization is complex, and advances in AI could either heighten or dampen polarization depending on the environment.