Perceiving AI as labor-replacing reduces democratic legitimacy and political engagement

Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to profoundly reshape society and labor markets, yet experts remain divided on whether AI will primarily displace human labor or generate new employment opportunities. Despite the importance of this debate, little is known about how the public perceives AI’s labor market impact—and how these perceptions affect democratic attitudes and behaviors. Using large-scale survey data (N = 37,097; 38 European countries), we find that the public predominantly views AI as labor-replacing rather than labor-creating. Controlling for a large set of technology-related, political, and socio-demographic factors, we further find that perceiving AI as labor-replacing (vs. labor-creating) is associated with lower satisfaction with democracy and political engagement with technology. Drawing on nationally representative, preregistered experimental data (N = 400; United States), we provide causal evidence for this relationship. Participants exposed to a labor-replacing (vs. labor-creating) AI frame report greater erosion of trust in democratic institutions and lower willingness to politically engage with future AI developments. Together, our findings suggest that perceptions about AI’s labor market consequences—regardless of actual outcomes—may erode democratic legitimacy and discourage public involvement in shaping the future of AI.