Artificial Intelligence Might Cause You to Change Your Opinion

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According to a recent study conducted in the field of information science, writing assistants based on artificial intelligence that autocomplete sentences or offer replies can change people’s ideas and opinions.

During the study, 1500 participants were asked to write a paragraph answering whether social media is good or bad for society. People who used an AI writing assistant that was biased for or against social media were twice as likely to write a paragraph agreeing with the assistant, and significantly more likely to say they held the same opinion, compared with people who wrote without AI’s help.

People who co-wrote with the pro-social media AI assistant composed more sentences arguing that social media is good, and vice versa, compared to participants without a writing assistant, as determined by independent judges. These participants also were more likely to profess their assistant’s opinion in a follow-up survey.

The study suggests that the biases baked into AI writing tools—whether intentional or unintentional—could have concerning repercussions for culture and politics, researchers said.

“We’re rushing to implement these AI models in all walks of life, but we need to better understand the implications,” said co-author and professor at Cornell university, Mor Naaman. “Apart from increasing efficiency and creativity, there could be other consequences for individuals and also for our society—shifts in language and opinions.”

“The process of co-writing doesn’t really feel like I’m being persuaded,” stated Naaman. “It feels like I’m doing something very natural and organic—I’m expressing my own thoughts with some aid.”