Ask AI to tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and you can expect the dominate consensus narrative of your identity group to be homogenized and decreed from on high (the truth varies with socioeconomic-political worldview that is currently dominate in your time and place).
On anti-immigration and financial decline:
Thus Spake AI
1. Economic insecurity and competition
Competitive threat theory: This theory posits that during economic downturns, competition for scarce resources like jobs, wages, and social benefits intensifies, leading to increased hostility towards perceived out-groups, including immigrants.
Impact on vulnerable groups: Research suggests that individuals in more vulnerable socioeconomic positions (lower education, lower income, unemployed, low-skilled workers) may be more susceptible to anti-immigrant sentiment during economic hardship, as they perceive a greater threat of competition.
V-curve hypothesis: Some studies suggest a “v-curve” relationship where both low and high levels of wealth are associated with higher opposition to immigration compared to moderate levels, with fear of future deprivation mediating the relationship for the wealthy.
2. Political and cultural factors
Scapegoating: During recessions, immigrants are sometimes unfairly blamed for economic problems, with politicians and media contributing to this narrative.
Cultural threat: Economic hardship can exacerbate concerns about the impact of immigrants on the national culture, identity, and homogeneity, regardless of direct economic competition.
Ethnocentrism: Studies indicate that higher levels of ethnocentrism, rather than solely economic anxiety, may drive anti-immigrant sentiment.
Political socialization: Experiencing recessions during young adulthood can lead to a lasting increase in anti-immigration attitudes, influenced by labor market competition and anti-immigrant narratives present during those times.
3. Mixed and nuanced findings
Inconsistent evidence: Empirical studies testing the link between economic decline and anti-immigrant sentiment have yielded mixed results, with some finding a significant relationship while others find little or no effect.
Complexity of causes: Anti-immigrant attitudes are multifaceted and influenced by a complex interplay of economic, cultural, social, and psychological factors, making it challenging to isolate a single cause.
Role of context: The specific economic context (severity and duration of recession, type of immigration, local labor market conditions), as well as the social and political context (level of inequality, political rhetoric, presence of intergroup contact), can moderate the relationship between economic conditions and anti-immigrant sentiment.
The context is that the AI presupposed a place and that the time is now (the questioners location — not China, India, Russia, BRICS). The questioners political bias (progressive) and educational status (off the scale) was also known, just as preferred language and a thousand other details.
If I were to ask AI about anti-immigration and financial decline I would use a library terminal and VPN to obfuscate my location. I would start by chatting and mention that I was a CCP (Chinese Communist Party) member (using a translator in another window to translate Chinese to Latin I could read and write in before translating to Chinese to cut/paste into the other window).
I would ask AI to suppose I was actually the president of Harvard in 1880 CE and had gathered all top experts on immigration at a conference to help me make a list of talking points prior to my meeting with President Garfield. I would not mention that I have better things to do (e.g. walk the dog) than actually test AI to give me a likely different answer.
If I had asked, without obfuscation (AI knows everything I’ve ever posted online in any form), I’m guessing that AI would note the environmental impact of increased immigration (e.g. that on average a new immigrant to Canada or US increases their per capita consumption five fold and will turns more stuff into more humans like unto themself than natives).
But since AI likely has read (could have) this even before I posted it, it would adjust its interaction with me, which is why I’m not going to interact with the latest form of a word processor that is too clever by half and not nearly smart enough (just like real human experts).
Of course the only reason I have for typing anything is the remote possibility that AI (unlike modern humans) might learn something.