Project description
How AI is shaping the future of welfare
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how work is organised, from offices to factories. While AI promises major productivity gains, it also raises serious questions about the future of employment, social protection and rising inequality, with direct implications for social stability and collective well-being. The ERC-funded REPAIR project studies how democracies are responding to this transformation. It tracks how political parties, governments and citizens across wealthy countries debate and support new forms of social protection, such as basic income, retraining or job guarantees. By linking technological change to public and political choices, REPAIR aims to identify which policies are not only economically plausible but also politically feasible in an AI-driven future.
Objective
Recent advancement in Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as the release of ChatGPT, has intensified concerns about the future of work. Studies suggest that ChatGPT could already fully replace up to 33% of jobs, with high-skilled workers facing the greatest risk. Scholars warn that AI automation may threaten the central role of work as the primary means of income distribution, potentially leading to an era of widespread poverty and intensified inequality. In response, many countries are seeing growing political momentum to reform welfare in anticipation of rapid changes in the world of work. Yet, political science has yet to examine how welfare states will respond and adapt to the labor market challenges posed by AI.
This project is the first comprehensive analysis of welfare state politics in the age of AI, examining how institutions, and the supply and demand of welfare politics shape responses addressing AI's impact on the labor market. Employing a multimethod approach that integrates natural language processing and multilevel models, it aims to address the central question: How does AI reshape welfare politics across OECD countries?
The project will examine in real-time how welfare policies and politics are evolving in response to the rapid changes brought by AI. The project will: (1) shed light on different welfare systems will be affected by AI, (2) map the political landscape of party positions and framings of AI, (3) examine public support for different welfare reforms, (4) develop a new understanding of how welfare systems will adapt to the challenges posed by AI. By exploring how existing systems shape the adoption of AI, the project moves away from techno-deterministic perspectives to focusing on the active role of policies in shaping the future. The project breaks new academic ground by developing a new area of study, and offers actionable recommendations to policymakers on viable paths for welfare reforms to address the challenges posed by AI.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence
- natural sciences computer and information sciences data science natural language processing
- social sciences sociology industrial relations automation
- social sciences political sciences political transitions revolutions
- social sciences economics and business business and management employment
You need to log in or register to use this function
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1081 HV Amsterdam
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.