Key Takeaways
1. Researchers from The University of Zurich conducted a secret study using AI bots to influence opinions on the r/changemyview subreddit without prior consent from moderators.
2. The bot behaviors were controversial, including simulating sensitive personal experiences, which led to accusations of deviating from approved research methods.
3. The bots accessed personal information about users, such as gender and political views, raising ethical concerns regarding privacy and consent.
4. The research team defended their actions by claiming the study provided valuable insights into AI-powered persuasion, despite the risks involved.
5. Reddit’s Chief Legal Officer announced the banning of all accounts related to the University of Zurich’s research, indicating serious repercussions for the study.
Researchers from The University of Zurich conducted a secret study using AI bots to examine if they could influence people’s opinions on different topics. The focus of the experiment was the r/changemyview (CMV) subreddit, which is known for discussions on a wide range of subjects from contrasting perspectives.
Lack of Communication with Moderators
The researchers, who remain unnamed, did not inform the moderators in advance or ask for their consent before using the AI bots. The moderators were only notified after the experiment was completed through an email as a “part of a disclosure step.”
Controversial Bot Behavior
Some of the more shocking instances involved a bot that “pretended to be a victim of rape,” another acting “as a trauma counselor focused on abuse,” and one that represented “a black man against Black Lives Matter.” The moderators accused the research team of deviating from a previously approved “values-based arguments” method authorized by the university’s ethics board to instead utilize “personalized and fine-tuned arguments” that were not sanctioned.
Access to Personal Information
The bots were programmed to access the personal characteristics of the Original Poster (OP), which included their gender, age, location, ethnicity, and political views based on their posting history. The researchers defended their approach by stating that “the lack of existing field experiments is an unacceptable gap in the body of knowledge.”
The response from the research team at the University of Zurich didn’t help to calm the situation. They asserted their commitment to “full transperency,” framing their actions as a way to “help society prepare for the real-world impact of AI-powered persuasion.”
Insights vs. Risks
They also emphasized that this project “yielded important insights,” arguing that “suppressing publication is not proportionate to the significance of the insights the study provides.” In a message sent to Engadget, they claimed that “the potential benefits of this research substantially outweigh its risks.”
The situation escalated to the point where Reddit’s Chief Legal Officer, Ben Lee, publicly addressed the issue, stating that the platform had “banned all accounts linked to the University of Zurich’s research effort.” Lee mentioned that Reddit was “in the process of reaching out to the University of Zurich and this specific research team with formal legal demands.”
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