Does the image that the population has of robots influence the perception of the impact of automatization on employment?

Abstract

The image that people have of robots/AI often does not correspond to reality. This can have effects on the effective implementation of these technologies in a country, generating a negative impact on its competitiveness. The objective of this article is to analyze whether the idea one has of a robot influences the perception of the impact of robotization on employment. To do this, partially based on the research of Shoss and Ciarlante (2022), it is employed a multilevel model with variables at the individual and country levels, incorporating to study, as contribution, the density of robots per country as an independent variable into the study. The results confirm that: (i) the more distorted the image an individual has of what a robot is (erroneous image), the greater their perception that robots/AI pose a threat to jobs; and (ii) that in those countries where the density of robots is higher (operating robots per 10.000 workers), this perceived threat level is lower.