It’s been discovered that millions of Reddit users were deceived and “psychologically manipulated” by an unauthorized AI experiment performed by researchers from the University of Zurich … The university secretly used AI bots to post in the highly-popular Change My View subreddit, with large language models taking on a variety of personas, including a rape victim and a trauma counsellor.The university disclosed the deception to moderators after it had taken place, acknowledging that researchers broke the rules of the subreddit.The AIs took on some extremely provocative identities: AI pretending to be a victim of rape AI acting as a trauma counselor specializing in abuse AI accusing members of a religious group of “caus[ing] the deaths of hundreds of innocent traders and farmers and villagers.” AI posing as a black man opposed to Black Lives Matter AI posing as a person who received substandard care in a foreign hospital CMV moderators say that the study was a serious ethical violation.
Data the researchers attempted to compile on CMV users included gender, age, ethnicity, location, and political orientation.CMV moderators filed a formal complaint with the university’s ethics commission, which responded by stating that it had issued a formal warning to the lead researcher, and would be boost prior reviews of proposed studies – but said that publication of the paper would go ahead.9to5Mac’s Take Subreddit users are understandably outraged by the deception and the decision to proceed with publication.
The university cannot on the one hand warn researchers about unethical behavior, and promise to prevent a similar thing happening again, while at the same time permitting the hugely unethical paper to be published.The only meaningful consequence would be to bar publication, ensuring that other researchers will not want to risk all of their time and work being wasted in similar studies.Highlighted accessories Anker 511 Nano Pro ultra-compact iPhone charger MagSafe Car Mount for iPhone Apple MagSafe Charger with 25w power for iPhone 16 models Apple 30W charger for above Anker 240W braided USB-C to USB-C cable You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day.
Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop.Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel
