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An exit for even the deepest rabbit holes: Personalized conversations with chatbot reduce belief in conspiracy theories
EurekaAlert ^ | 09/12/2024 | Walter Beckwith

Posted on 09/12/2024 4:06:31 PM PDT by aimhigh

Personalized conversations with a trained artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot can reduce belief in conspiracy theories – even in the most obdurate individuals – according to a new study. The findings, which challenge the idea that such beliefs are impervious to change, point to a new tool for combating misinformation. “It has become almost a truism that people ‘down the rabbit hole’ of conspiracy belief are almost impossible to reach,” write the authors.

“In contrast to this pessimistic view, we [show] that a relatively brief conversation with a generative AI model can produce a large and lasting decrease in conspiracy beliefs, even among people whose beliefs are deeply entrenched.”

(Excerpt) Read more at eurekalert.org ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ai; brainwashing; chat; chatbox; conspiracy; freedomofspeech; notnews
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The following is a link to the MIT chatbot that will try to eliminate your conspiracy theories.

Debunkbot

https://www.debunkbot.com/conspiracies

1 posted on 09/12/2024 4:06:31 PM PDT by aimhigh
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To: aimhigh

IT is interesting to see its arguments, but they rest on the “trustworthy” government and press.


2 posted on 09/12/2024 4:08:01 PM PDT by aimhigh (1 John 3:23 "And THIS is His commandment . . . . ")
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To: aimhigh

My theory is that AI will be used to persuade people to think in accordance with the dominant Narrative, as desired by those in power. Prove me wrong.


3 posted on 09/12/2024 4:11:25 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (My decisions about people are based almost entirely on skin color. I learned this from Democrats.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

Do AI conspire?


4 posted on 09/12/2024 4:13:37 PM PDT by cockroach_magoo (No one is above the law, but some are more above the law than others.)
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To: aimhigh

There are so many “conspiracy theories” that were true, it’s crazy.


5 posted on 09/12/2024 4:15:56 PM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: aimhigh
“In contrast to this pessimistic view, we [show] that a relatively brief conversation with a generative AI model can produce a large and lasting decrease in conspiracy beliefs, even among people whose beliefs are deeply entrenched.”

Chatbots that do political speech or debunking, are written by conspiracy theorist who have their own biases. Noteworthy, or case in point: Google AI and Alexa AI. The most untrustworthy chatbots are all of those written by humans, who ALL have their biases.

I'll leave the chatbots decision-helping for things such as what's the favorite car color to go with my black shoes. If you need a chatbot to tell you what's right or wrong, or conspiracy or truth, then, you've got a lot of mental issues that no mental health doctor can fix..
6 posted on 09/12/2024 4:17:50 PM PDT by adorno (CCH)
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To: aimhigh

ChatBots get so much basic information wrong when I ask them things. They can’t be trusted. I’ll ask them something. They’ll give me some answer I know is wrong. I’ll tell them they’re wrong and why then they’ll admit they were incorrect.


7 posted on 09/12/2024 4:21:03 PM PDT by FreedomForce
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To: aimhigh

Ones I know are believed by some here are the Maui fires started by death rays, they burned super hot because of the chemtrails, and Zuckerberg uses 20 foot combat robots to keep people off his Hawaiian estate.


8 posted on 09/12/2024 4:21:11 PM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: aimhigh

Are they conspiracy theories if they’re true?

JFK killed by CIA. Check
MK Ultra. Check
Project Bluebook. Check
Covid made in a lab in China. Check
Stolen elections. Check.

If the chatbot confirms those truths then I will be cured of those “conspiracy theories”. Only those.


9 posted on 09/12/2024 4:26:22 PM PDT by HYPOCRACY (Brandon's pronouns: Xi/Hur)
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To: aimhigh

Why would I ever trust AI? I don’t even trust real humans.


10 posted on 09/12/2024 4:27:14 PM PDT by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
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To: aimhigh

I asked a chatbot “Did Jeffrey Epstein kill himself?”. It replied that it couldn’t answer that question. So now I’m more certain of the “conspiracy theories” associated with his mysterious demise.


11 posted on 09/12/2024 4:28:32 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear (Kafka was an optimist.)
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To: aimhigh

Who in the heck is going to volunteer to be brainwashed by a chatbot?


12 posted on 09/12/2024 4:28:37 PM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: aimhigh

Is that anything like “Verify” on TV, (LOL! 🥸😲)


13 posted on 09/12/2024 4:29:20 PM PDT by Shady (The Force of Liberty must prevail for the sake of our Children and Grandchildren...)
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To: aimhigh

What about the conspiracy theory about AI debunking conspiracy theories?


14 posted on 09/12/2024 4:29:21 PM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: ansel12

Regardless, paint your roof blue, just in case.


15 posted on 09/12/2024 4:29:34 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear (Kafka was an optimist.)
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To: aimhigh

Hard to dicount them when so many are proving to be true.


16 posted on 09/12/2024 4:29:38 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Disambiguator

Yeah, the very fsct a programmed chatbot is there trying to get you to not believe conspiracy theories...leads itself to a conspiracy theory....


17 posted on 09/12/2024 4:30:26 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

AI tried to convince me that our founding fathers were all Black. But then I reminded it that a lot of our founding fathers were slaveowners. My computer started to smoke.


18 posted on 09/12/2024 4:31:49 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear (Kafka was an optimist.)
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To: who_would_fardels_bear

I painted everything blue, except for the dog, he got sick from it and the vet had to shave him completely so I keep him locked inside, I keep the dog inside also.


19 posted on 09/12/2024 4:32:33 PM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: aimhigh

I asked my favorite AI chatbox....

Do AI chat boxes believe in conspiracy theories?

Answer:

AI chatbots do not inherently believe in or endorse conspiracy theories. In fact, recent research suggests that AI chatbots may be effective tools for countering conspiracy beliefs:
AI Chatbots as Debunkers
A study published in the journal Science in September 2024 found that AI chatbots can be surprisingly effective at persuading people to reconsider their belief in conspiracy theories. Key findings include:
Participants who engaged in conversations with an AI chatbot about a conspiracy theory they believed in showed a 20% reduction in their belief on average.
This reduction in belief persisted even two months after the initial conversation.
The chatbot was able to provide detailed, fact-based responses tailored to each participant’s specific arguments and concerns.
How AI Chatbots Counter Conspiracy Theories
There are several reasons why AI chatbots may be effective for this purpose:
Access to vast amounts of accurate information across diverse topics
Ability to quickly provide fact-based responses to complex arguments
Lack of personal biases or emotional reactions that might hinder human-to-human debates
Politeness and acknowledgment of users’ curiosity, establishing rapport
Potential Applications
Researchers envision several potential uses for this technology:
Linking chatbots to social media accounts to provide counterarguments to conspiracy theories
Using targeted ads to direct users searching for conspiracy-related topics to fact-checking chatbots
Inviting users on conspiracy forums to “do their own research” by debating with a chatbot
Safeguards and Limitations
While promising, this approach requires careful implementation:
Researchers employed fact-checkers to verify the chatbot’s claims for accuracy
The study focused on common conspiracy theories well-represented in the AI’s training data
Trust in AI influences effectiveness, though even AI-skeptical participants showed some change in beliefs
In conclusion, rather than believing in conspiracy theories themselves, AI chatbots trained on factual information have shown potential as tools to combat the spread of conspiracy beliefs. However, it’s crucial to ensure these systems are carefully designed and monitored to provide accurate information.


20 posted on 09/12/2024 4:35:05 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (Leaving Abortion up to the States is like Leaving Slavery up to the States.)
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