Virtual Governance: Public Perceptions of AI's Role in International Organizations' Legitimacy

• In Event: Law and Institutions

Abstract

IOs regularly receive pushback for being elite and out-of-touch organizations. Yet we know little about how perceptions of IOs change when they incorporate artificial intelligence. We theorize that doing so amplifies such concerns, such that IOs are viewed as even less legitimate global actors. We first document that IOs highlight their AI incorporation via social media, but show that doing so drives down opinions and engagement with these bodies. We then use a novel survey experiment to demonstrate that the public fears AI use in IOs. We show that this is primarily due to concerns about biased, technical decision-making, and a preference for governance by ordinary people. Our results highlight the dangers of incorporating new technologies into global governance without public buy-in and have implications for IO trust and efficacy.

Authors

• Allison Carnegie, Columbia University

• Seowoo Chung, Columbia University

• Lisa Fan, Oxford University