Unwanted AI experiment on Reddit: massive criticism of research group
The subreddit r/changemyview is all about convincing people with arguments. It has now been revealed that AI has been involved – for research purposes.
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Researchers at the University of Zurich have allegedly conducted an extensive and unauthorized experiment with AI-generated posts on Reddit, for which they are now receiving a huge amount of criticism. The experiment was admitted on the weekend in a post on the subreddit r/changemyview, which is about exchanging arguments to change participants' views or opinions. The alleged research group wrote there that it had created a total of 13 accounts that were to use AI-generated posts to show whether and how well they could change opinions. Among other things, they inserted complex but completely fictitious biographies. The criticism of this is enormous.
Value of research greater than the risks
Under the article, the team itself explained that the research is about the social consequences of AI-generated content on the internet. It is important to find out how convincing the rapidly developing technology is under the most realistic conditions possible. Without informing anyone on the platform, the accounts were set up, and 1783 posts were made over almost four months. All of them were machine-generated, but had been individually checked in advance. After the study was completed, the moderation team was contacted “proactively” and several questions were answered.
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The text also states that the responsible body at the University of Zurich had approved the research. It acknowledges that the trial was an unwanted intrusion and that some may feel uncomfortable: “We apologize for any disruption this may have caused.” At the same time, however, it is assured that the potential findings would substantially outweigh the risks. The preliminary results already suggest that protective measures against AI-generated content are urgently needed. An inquiry by heise online to the University of Zurich has not yet been answered; the research institution has neither confirmed nor denied the experiment.
The online magazine 404 has compiled a series of examples that show just how far the AI-generated texts have gone in some cases. One of them states that it was written by a rape victim and constantly refers to “I” and traumatic experiences. Another account describes itself as a “black man” in a debate about racism and argues against this background. In some cases, entire families and the biographies of several people were invented to lend more weight to an argument. Those responsible have since deleted the posts, but 404 has archived them. The alleged research group has not commented on Reddit.
(mho)
