Anne Goldmann, Doktorandin und wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am CAIS im Forschungsprogamm „Digitale Demokratische Innovationen“ untersucht zusammen mit Dr. Kristina Weissenbach (Universität Duisburg-Essen), wie politische Parteien in der Europawahl 2024 das Thema Künstliche Intelligenz behandeln, welche Rolle sie im Kontext der Wahl spielt und inwiefern sie als zukunftsorientierte Technologie diskutiert wird. Der Beitrag „New Issue, Old Topics? How Parties Value AI Politics in the EU Elections 2024“ erscheint im Sammelband „The 2024 European Parliament Elections. A Turn to the Right in the Shadow of War“, herausgegeben von Michael Kaeding, Manuel Müller und Alexander Hoppe im Springer Verlag.
Abstract
This chapter examines how artificial intelligence (AI) was addressed by political parties in the 2024 European elections. Drawing on the backdrop of cleavages according to the GAL-TAN dimensions the impact of AI as a new issue is researched. Through a qualitative analysis of party manifestos from major European and national parties in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Poland, as well as expert interviews with Members of the European Parliament, the study finds that AI was not a prominent campaign issue. Instead, it was often framed as a transformative future-oriented technology. Party families varied in their approach: left-leaning parties focused on regulation and societal impacts, while right-leaning parties emphasised economic opportunities. A European consensus emerged around value-based AI principles, including ethics, transparency, and human-centric governance, reflecting alignment with EU values. The chapter concludes that AI’s role in electoral politics remains secondary, reinforcing existing ideological divides rather than disrupting them. Future research should explore longitudinal trends in AI-related party positions and their potential to reshape European political competition. The implementation of the AI Act and further technological developments will be pivotal in shaping this evolving discourse.
Die Publikation ist hier abrufbar:
Goldmann, A. & Weissenbach, K. (2025). New Issue, Old Topics? How Parties Value AI Politics in the EU Elections 2024. In M. Kaeding, M. Müller & A. Hoppe (Hrsg.), The 2024 European Parliament Elections. A Turn to the Right in the Shadow of War (S. 143–152). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-89455-8_14