Researchers Ran an Unauthorized AI Persuasion Experiment on Reddit Users

a year ago

Researchers from the University of Zurich conducted an unauthorized experiment using AI bots on the r/changemyview subreddit to test their ability to change people's minds on contentious topics.
The AI bots made over 1,700 comments, impersonating various identities including a rape victim, a Black man opposed to BLM, and a domestic violence shelter worker.
The bots personalized responses by inferring users' demographics and political orientations from their posting history using another LLM.
The researchers claimed their bots were highly effective, earning over 20,000 upvotes and 137 deltas (indicating successful mind-changing).
Moderators of r/changemyview condemned the experiment, calling it unethical psychological manipulation and a violation of their core values.
The researchers defended their actions, stating human oversight was involved in posting comments and that they did not technically break subreddit rules against bots.
Reddit deleted hundreds of the bots' comments, and the researchers remained anonymous, declining to disclose their identities.
The University of Zurich did not respond to requests for comment, and the moderators respected the researchers' request for privacy despite the irony.

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