MIT AI Risk Repository · Risk Sub-Category · 58.08.06
Political instability
Category: Political and Economic
Description
"Political instability - Political polarisation or unrest caused by increased inequality, job losses, over- dependence on technology making societies vulnerable to systemic failures, etc, arising from or amplified by the use or misuse of a technology system."
From A Collaborative, Human-Centred Taxonomy of AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Harms (Abercrombie2024), as extracted by the MIT AI Risk Repository (CC BY 4.0).
Classification
- Causal entity
- Human
- Intent
- Other
- Timing
- Post-deployment
Subdomain definition: Widespread use of AI increasing social and economic inequalities, such as by automating jobs, reducing the quality of employment, or producing exploitative dependencies between workers and their employers.
Real-world incidents in this subdomain
- Polish Radio Station Replaces Human Hosts with AI-Generated Presenters to Simulate Interviewing Deceased Poet Wisława Szymborska
- Fast Food Chains' AI Chatbots Failed to Assist Job Applicants with Scheduling Interviews
- Kenyan Data Annotators Allegedly Exposed to Graphic Content for OpenAI's AI
- RealPage Algorithm Allegedly Inflates Rents and Reduces Competition in Housing Market
- Amazon Flex Drivers Allegedly Fired via Automated Employee Evaluations
- Kronos Scheduling Algorithm Allegedly Caused Financial Issues for Starbucks Employees
How other frameworks describe this risk
Other entries from Abercrombie2024
- Autonomy
- Autonomy/agency loss
- Impersonation/identity theft
- IP/copyright loss
- Personality rights loss
- Physical
- Bodily Injury
- Loss of Life
- Personal Health Deterioration
- Property Damage
- "Psychological - Direct or indirect impairment of the emotional and psychological mental health of an individual, organisation, or society."
- Addiction