Researchers Used AI Bots to Secretly Engage on Popular Reddit Forum, Sparking Backlash

A team of researchers from the University of Zurich secretly deployed AI bots on Reddit’s r/changemyview forum, posing as real people to study how AI can influence human opinions. The bots interacted extensively with users, assuming various controversial identities, without users’ consent or knowledge. Once discovered, the bots were banned, and the incident caused major outrage among Redditors and site administrators. Reddit is considering legal action, condemning the project as unethical and in violation of platform rules. The university pledged to investigate and strengthen its oversight and ethical review processes, while the researchers have decided not to publish their findings.

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