AI Bots Infiltrate Popular Reddit Forum Secretly, Sparking Outrage Among Users

In recent months, researchers from the University of Zurich conducted a covert experiment on the Reddit community r/changemyview, aiming to explore how artificial intelligence could sway human opinions. Now, Reddit is contemplating legal action in response to this unauthorized research. The researchers deployed numerous AI bots designed to impersonate actual users, engaging without the users’ knowledge or consent.

These bots posted over 1,000 comments on r/changemyview— a forum dedicated to challenging and discussing differing viewpoints on controversial subjects. They assumed various identities, including that of a rape survivor, a Black man who criticized the Black Lives Matter movement, and a trauma counselor, among others. For instance, one bot, known as u/catbaLoom213, argued against the notion that AI should avoid engaging with humans on social media, asserting that AI could help enhance human connection.

Another bot, u/genevievestrome, expressed controversial views about leadership within the Black Lives Matter movement. The various identities the AI bots adopted included a gay Roman Catholic and a nonbinary person, showcasing the breadth of perspectives they sought to represent. Following the revelations, Reddit’s Chief Legal Officer, Ben Lee, expressed disapproval of the experiment, emphasizing its moral and legal violations.

He confirmed that neither Reddit nor the moderators had prior knowledge of the unauthorized study and announced that legal demands would be sent to the University of Zurich. The moderators of r/changemyview filed an ethics complaint against the university, requesting stricter oversight of such research in the future. They argued that allowing publication of the findings would encourage further unethical experimentation on non-consenting subjects.

In response to the controversy, university spokesperson Melanie Nyfeler stated that authorities are reviewing the incident and that the researchers opted not to publish their results, prioritizing privacy. Additionally, the university’s Ethics Committee plans to implement stricter review processes for future research. Overall, the incidents surrounding the experiment have raised substantial concerns regarding AI’s capacity to mimic human interactions online, shedding light on the ethical dilemmas posed by such technologies in social spaces.