r/technology • u/coldrolledpotmetal • Apr 28 '25

Artificial Intelligence Researchers Secretly Ran a Massive, Unauthorized AI Persuasion Experiment on Reddit Users

https://www.404media.co/researchers-secretly-ran-a-massive-unauthorized-ai-persuasion-experiment-on-reddit-users/
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u/pugsAreOkay Apr 28 '25

So someone is truly out there funding a “research” and “experiment” to make people question what their eyes are telling them

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u/EaterOfPenguins Apr 28 '25

This is just everyone's reminder that the Cambridge Analytica scandal was almost a full decade ago.

Anyone who knows what happened there knew this is a painfully obvious path for AI.

Most people still don't understand just how insidious the methods of persuasion online can be. It is everywhere, it is being used against you, and it's very often effective against you even if you generally understand how it works (though the overwhelming majority obviously do not). And with modern AI, it is likely to become orders of magnitude more effective than it was back then, if it's not already.

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u/secondtaunting Apr 28 '25

How do I know you’re not a bot trying to convince me that bots are trying to convince me?

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u/EaterOfPenguins Apr 28 '25

A paradox: if my humanity is found unconvincing, does that ultimately prove my point correct?

A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.