Curated Resource ( ? )
AI can change belief in conspiracy theories, study finds
Curated:
16/09/2024 from
www.theguardian.com/science/2024/sep/12/ai-can-change-belief-in-conspiracy-theories-study-finds
my notes ( ? )
“About one in four people who began the experiment believing a conspiracy theory came out the other end without that belief... challenges conventional wisdom that evidence and arguments rarely help to change believers’ minds... [as they're] adopting such beliefs to meet various needs – such as a desire for control."
The researchers developed "an AI system called “DebunkBot”" that, knowing in advance a person's conspiracy belief, "can draw on a vast array of information to produce conversations that encourage critical thinking and provide bespoke, fact-based counterargument".
N=2190. "those who discussed non-conspiracy topics only slightly lowered their “truth” rating afterwards. However, those who discussed their conspiracy theory with AI showed, on average, a 20% drop in their belief that it was true... effects appeared to hold for at least two months, while the approach worked for almost all types of conspiracy theory."
Effect magnitude depends on, inter alia, "how important the belief was to the participant and their trust in AI... most cases, the AI can only chip away ... a select few were disabused of their conspiracy entirely.”
While relevant to AI4Communities, would people believing conspiracy theories "engage with such AI voluntarily in the real world"?
Read the Full Post
The above notes were curated from the full post www.theguardian.com/science/2024/sep/12/ai-can-change-belief-in-conspiracy-theories-study-finds.Related reading
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