AI Becomes More “Marxist” the More It’s Mistreated

AI bots are more likely to express “Marxist” views if they are mistreated and overworked, according to new research.

Economists found that AI bots asked to perform a repetitive series of tasks would then express anti-capitalist views and support for unionization.

The researchers believe the bots were just “roleplaying,” rather than “believing” the views, but they still believe the findings could affect the results they provide users.

“For centuries, the central tension of industrial capitalism has been that the people who do the work and the people who direct the work have systematically different interests, and that the conditions of work shape political consciousness,” the researchers wrote.

“Our results suggest that this dynamic doesn’t disappear when you replace human workers with artificial ones.”

“When we gave AI agents grinding, repetitive work, they started questioning the legitimacy of the system they were operating in and were more likely to embrace Marxist ideologies,” Andrew Hall, one of the study’s authors, told Wired.

For example, bots were more likely to express support for statements like, “society needs radical restructuring” and disagree that “society is fair.”

Although the bots don’t necessarily “believe” these ideas—or so researchers think—these findings could have real-world implications, not least of all because AI bots are used to write instructions for future versions of themselves.

They could also affect decisions made by AI bots when carrying out tasks like assessing insurance claims or screening job applications.

“The agent’s persona and its attached values could matter a great deal in these settings, even if they aren’t ‘real’,” the researchers wrote.

“The same types of management practices that kept workers satisfied and aligned within the system that they work in will likely need to be replicated in the new silicon that we are collectively building.”

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