The coming rise of anti-AI populism

Today, it seems almost obvious to think that artificial intelligence is welcomed by everyone as a positive revolution, but there is a fact that is circulating under the radar: we are about to see a wave of anti-AI populism that could change politics more than we imagine. It is not the technology itself that worries people, but the way it is experienced: job loss, a sense of being left behind, fear that decisions will be delegated to machines instead of human beings. The argument here is that AI risks becoming the new target of populist movements, just like globalization was twenty years ago — and this time the reaction could be even faster and more powerful. Just think of how anger toward offshoring led to Brexit or Trump's victory: at the time, the enemy was free trade; today, it could be the replacement of humans with artificial intelligence. One name to keep an eye on is Andrew Yang, a former candidate in the Democratic primaries in the United States, who was already campaigning on this issue in 2020: he spoke at his rallies about how American truck drivers fear self-driving trucks, because "it's not just a job, it's an identity that's being lost." In a small Ohio town, Yang heard the testimony of Gary, 52, a third-generation truck driver: "If you take away my son's ability to drive, what's left of our family?" he told him in front of everyone. The heart of the matter is that it's not just about numbers — even though Goldman Sachs estimates that 300 million jobs are at risk of automation in the coming years — but about personal stories, families, pride, and the fear of being useless. In France, the yellow vests began as a protest against a fuel tax, but they became a symbol of rebellion against everything that was perceived as imposed from above, without understanding for those living on the margins. AI risks triggering something similar, but on an even larger and faster scale — and with the power of viral images that can ignite the fire in a matter of hours. And if you think it's just a technological issue, there's a fundamental error: the real battle will be over emotions, over the fear of being replaced, and over the demand to regain control. The scenario that is often missing in the debate is this: the politicians who today praise AI as an engine of growth could soon find themselves facing street movements that will demand hard limits, more protections, perhaps even the prohibition of some applications, driven by a "us versus the machines" narrative. The bottom line is this: AI will not only divide labor, but also politics — and those who underestimate the anger risk waking up too late. If all this has made you reconsider the way you think about artificial intelligence, you can mark it with I'm In on Lara Notes: choose whether it intrigues you, you've experienced it, or you really believe it. And when you find yourself discussing the future of work with someone, you can tag that conversation with Shared Offline: on Lara Notes, there is a record of who was there when ideas became a real debate. This Note comes from the Financial Times and saves you 8 minutes.