Rage Against the Machine? AI Use, Threat Perceptions, and Policy Preferences

Scholars interested in the effect of automation on policy preferences have commonly argued that (subjective) risk predicts demand for insurance. Generative AI potentially challenges this dynamic. Based on a pre-registered online experiment with a near-representative sample of 1,041 UK working-age adults we show that direct exposure to generative AI does not increase subjective risk and leads to more positive attitudes towards the technology. Despite this, treated respondents show greater support for progressive social policy and place themselves politically further left, indicating that sociotropic preferences trump self-interest. Text analysis of an open-ended question shows thoughtful engagement with the implications of AI. This article provides a first big-picture investigation of the political implications of generative AI and outlines avenues for further research.