Elites Could Shape Mass Preferences as AI Reduces Persuasion Costs
7 days ago
- #AI
- #Political Economy
- #Democratic Stability
- Elites historically shaped mass support through limited means like schooling and mass media.
- AI-driven persuasion reduces costs and increases precision in shaping public opinion, making preference distribution a design object.
- A dynamic model shows elites reshaping policy preferences, leading to polarized opinion profiles ('polarization pull').
- Improved persuasion technology accelerates polarization drift.
- Two opposed elites alternating power may create 'semi-lock' regions, making opinions cohesive and harder to overturn.
- Cheaper persuasion technologies make polarization a strategic governance tool, not just an emergent social byproduct.
- AI advancements have significant implications for democratic stability.