European reactions to AI in full and flawed democracies: an investigation of key factors

Abstract This study examines the key factors that affect Europeans’ reactions to artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of both full and flawed democracies in Europe. AI applications have increasingly been integrated into democratic practices, ranging from micro-targeting of voters to election information campaigns and protests, as well as various administrative functions and services provided by governments. However, the impact of AI on democracy and democratic institutions has yielded mixed outcomes. Drawing upon a dataset of 4004 respondents, categorised into full democracies and flawed democracies based on The Democracy Index developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), this research identifies crucial factors that shape Europeans’ attitudes toward AI in these two types of democracies. The analysis reveals noteworthy findings. First, flawed democracies tend to exhibit higher levels of trust in government entities compared to their counterparts in full democracies. Furthermore, individuals residing in flawed democracies demonstrate a more positive attitude toward AI when compared to respondents from full democracies. However, the study does not find significant differences in AI awareness between the two types of democracies, indicating a similar level of general knowledge about AI technologies amongst European citizens. Moreover, the study reveals that trust in AI measures, specifically “Trust AI Solution,” does not vary significantly between full and flawed democracies. This suggests that despite differences in democratic quality, both types of democracy have similar levels of confidence in AI solutions. Furthermore, employing regression models, the study uncovers the relative impact of these key factors and their correlations can reflect on policy implications. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the factors that shape the reactions of Europeans to AI in the democratic context, providing valuable information to policymakers and stakeholders in designing effective AI governance frameworks and strategies.