{"id":1030,"date":"2026-10-12T16:58:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T20:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/?p=1030"},"modified":"2026-10-12T16:58:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T20:58:28","slug":"could-ai-be-an-anti-immigration-tool-for-the-german-far-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/could-ai-be-an-anti-immigration-tool-for-the-german-far-right\/","title":{"rendered":"Could AI be an anti-immigration tool for the German far-right?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The German far-right political party Alternative for Germany made history last month when it <\/span>won<\/span><\/a> the election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. Though the party, known by its German initials AfD, fell just short of an absolute majority, it may still be able to implement parts of its anti-immigration platform.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the tools the party hopes to use? Artificial intelligence.<\/span><\/p>\n

The manifesto <\/span>released<\/span><\/a> earlier this year by the Saxony-Anhalt association of the AfD proposes the development of a state-level strategy for \u201ctechnological upgrading, digitalization, and AI.\u201d This plan, which appears under the heading \u201cImmigration and Remigration,\u201d also includes a funding program to encourage small businesses to utilize more technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

The end goal, the document notes, is to \u201cprevent the immigration of skilled workers from culturally alien backgrounds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I took from this is that they just really want to emphasize that they don’t want any kind of immigration, even skilled migration,\u201d said April Reber, a postdoctoral researcher at Marburg University who specializes in the history of the AfD.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Experts, however, are skeptical that such a policy would work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think that’s really realistic,\u201d said Jonathan Olsen, a professor of political science at Texas Woman\u2019s University who has extensively studied the AfD\u2019s political strategies. \u201cGermany has a declining birth rate, right? So there are going to be fewer Germans to go around to fill these positions, and then we’re looking at things like paying into the pension system. Germany needs skilled labor.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A recent study from the Berlin Institute for Population and Development found that Germany\u2019s working-age population is projected to decrease by 4.7% by 2045, as first <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> by DW.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yvonne Giesing, an economics lecturer at The University of Western Australia Business School who has <\/span>studied<\/span><\/a> the impact of automation and AI on German immigration, said that the Saxony-Anhalt AfD\u2019s AI policy is \u201cmore like their dream and not what is actually realistic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, Giesing noted, such a policy of embracing AI may actually backfire and harm native-born workers disproportionately, since many migrants are employed in fields that require manual labor and may not be easily replaced by AI.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According<\/span><\/a> to The Federal Statistical Office of Germany, the five largest occupational groups among employed first-generation immigrants (accounting for 35% of employment) are transport and logistics; medical and healthcare; cleaning; business management and organization; and sales.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In some instances, AI may even help migrants \u2014 both unskilled and skilled \u2014 navigate traditional obstacles in employment more easily, further countering the AfD\u2019s goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnother thing I think is really interesting with AI at the moment is that it really reduces any kind of language barrier,\u201d said Giesing. \u201cIn the past \u2014 I’m now thinking like 10, 20 years ago \u2014 one big problem of migrants in the labor market would be the language issue. But I think with AI, I really see that this area is breaking down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The AfD is not the first to propose technologization as a way to reduce immigration. In 2024, the Tory politician Chris Philp <\/span>suggested<\/span><\/a> that British businesses should use more robots instead of migrants. Earlier this year, Team Mirai, a tech-centered political party in Japan founded by software engineers, <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> that the increased use of AI could result in fewer foreign workers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reber also cautioned that the manifesto may also not be a true representation of the policies that voters care about, given the length and exhausting process of making such a document.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey vote on each issue. And it’s very, it takes a really long time. And usually people are just done, and there are side conversations going on, and sometimes they’ll just be like, \u2018yes, we support this,\u2019 and they won’t even really spend a lot of time on each statement.\u201d \u2029<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet the Saxony-Anhalt AfD\u2019s stance on AI can also be understood as one of many ways the party is trying to wield limited state powers. The core issue of the party, immigration, is one that is legislated at the federal level, an arena where the AfD does not yet have control. However, <\/span>states<\/span><\/a> in Germany reserve significant powers like education, healthcare, and cultural policy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Olsen argued that the Saxony-Anhalt association of the AfD could add AI policy to its better-known tools to make life more difficult for migrants.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s really not much they can do,\u201d said Olsen, referring to the AfD\u2019s limited ability to influence national immigration policy. \u201cWhat they can do is try to make things as uncomfortable as possible for migrants in these states.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, the overall impact of AI on labor, especially skilled labor, is largely unclear. Siddhi Pal, who researches AI policy at interface, a Berlin-based think tank specializing in tech policy, noted that AI\u2019s effects have yet to be demonstrated in many occupations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI also think that AI is reaching the workforce in phases. We first saw software engineers, for example, being heavily impacted,\u201d Pal said. \u201cAI is not at a stage where we see it across the labor market everywhere in practice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But before even getting to executing an AI policy, the AFD may first need to sell its constituents on it: Some members of the party are completely unaware that their politicians are making the connection between AI and migration.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI even messaged a few AFD members\u2029I know who are in different states, and they had no idea,\u201d Reber said. \u201cThey were like, \u2018What are you talking about? AI has nothing to do with migration.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The German far-right political party Alternative for Germany made history last month when it won the election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. Though the party, known by its German initials AfD, fell just short of an absolute majority, it may still be able to implement parts of its anti-immigration platform.\u00a0 Among the tools the<\/p>\n

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