Researchers say that the AI system, based on large language model (LLM) technology, was designed to combat people who believe what Donald Trump says or who are otherwise deemed as being a "threat to democracy."
"Beliefs in conspiracies that a U.S. election was stolen incited an attempted insurrection on 6 January 2021," the study explains.
"Another conspiracy alleging that Germany's COVID-19 restrictions were motivated by nefarious intentions sparked violent protests at Berlin's Reichstag parliament building in August 2020."
The study was launched in response to what the research team describes as "growing threats to democracy." The goal was to come up with a scheme that allows AI robots to reprogram the minds of people who oppose the status quo so they will "abandon their conspiratorial beliefs."
"Human participants described a conspiracy theory that they subscribed to, and the AI then engaged in persuasive arguments with them that refuted their beliefs with evidence," the study explains.
"The AI chatbot's ability to sustain tailored counterarguments
and personalized in-depth conversations reduced their beliefs in
conspiracies for months, challenging research suggesting that such
beliefs are impervious to change. This intervention illustrates how
deploying AI may mitigate conflicts and serve society."...<<<Read More>>>...