AI chatbots promote conspiracy theories – new research finds

Since the first chatbots were conceived more than 50 years ago, they have become increasingly sophisticated, thanks in large part to the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Plus, they seem to be everywhere: on desktops, mobile apps, and embedded in everyday programs so you can interact with them at any time.

Now a new study I co-authored with my colleagues at the Digital Media Research Center shows what happens when you interact with these chatbots about dangerous conspiracy theories. Many people don’t want to end the conversation. Some will even encourage it.

The study, available as a preprint and accepted for publication in a special issue of M/C Journal, raises concerns given what we already know about how easily people can fall down the rabbit hole of conspiracy thinking.

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