03 Mar 2026
- Lecturer : Juliana Chueri (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
- Title : AI, Future of Work, and the Politics of the Welfare State
Venue
- University of Lausanne Géopolis Building, Room 5799
- 12:15-13:30
Abstract
Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) pose a profound challenge to the world of work. While the precise consequences remain uncertain, there is growing consensus that we are entering an era marked by widespread labor market insecurities. Existing welfare states are ill-equipped to manage such disruptions: most social benefits remain grounded in work-based eligibility and emphasize rapid reintegration into the labor market. Meanwhile, training systems are still predicated on the idea that technology demands higher skill levels, an assumption increasingly challenged by the rise of AI, which now threatens even high-skill occupations. This paper examines how AI’s labor market impact will transform welfare state politics, arguing that AI-driven automation marks the beginning of a new political era —one in which the role of work in society becomes a central axis of welfare conflict. Drawing on emerging public opinion data from the 2024 OECD Risks That Matter survey, the paper finds that fear of AI automation is widespread and cuts across educational groups. However, rather than increasing support for traditional interventions such as unemployment benefits and training programs, these fears primarily drive demand for measures that preserve the social role of work and protect it from automation, such as robot taxes, and, to a lesser extent, for schemes that guarantee income regardless of employment status. These results suggest the need for a new research agenda that treats AI not only as an economic disruptor but as a trigger for a fundamental shift in welfare politics. Future research should examine how political actors, interest groups, and welfare institutions respond to the emerging conflict over the future of work, and whether the welfare state can be reimagined in a world where work is no longer guaranteed.
Contact: annatina.aerne@unil.ch & michael.gratz@unil.ch