unauthorized AI experiment on Reddit
Experiment takes place on r/changemyview, prominent debate-focused subreddit with 3.8 million members.
After surreptitiously carrying out a massive, unapproved AI experiment on Reddit, where they used bots to pose as users and test the persuasiveness of AI on delicate social issues, a group of researchers from the University of Zurich are facing criticism.
Reddit moderators and a draft paper that 404 Media was able to obtain claim that the experiment was conducted on r/changemyview, a well-known subreddit with over 3.8 million members that focuses on debate.
Over several months, the AI-generated bots posted over 1,700 comments, assuming the identities of people like a Black man who was critical of Black Lives Matter, a counselor for victims of domestic abuse, and a survivor of sexual assault. Many of the remarks were extremely emotional and intimate.
According to the researchers, the bots were designed to analyze the Reddit history of the original posters in order to deduce personal characteristics like gender, age, ethnicity, and political beliefs. They then customized their responses based on these findings.
Subreddit rules prohibiting automated accounts and undisclosed AI use were directly broken by this activity.
In a statement, the moderators of the subreddit accused the researchers of breaking Reddit’s platform policies and ethical standards, claiming that “this was psychological manipulation.”
All related accounts have been banned, and legal action is being considered, according to Reddit’s Chief Legal Officer Ben Lee, who described the project as “deeply wrong on both a moral and legal level.”
The researchers stated that their project, which aimed to investigate potential risks posed by persuasive AI, had ethics approval.
In response to criticism, they stated, “We think the benefits outweigh the risks.”
The r/changemyview community and Reddit rejected that argument, arguing that users have a right to a space free from bots and based on consent.
The University of Zurich has not responded to formal complaints as of publication.
