A new study shows ordinary chatbot answers can change social and political opinions. People read short factual summaries about historical events and then reported their views. The researchers wanted to know whether small differences in wording could shift opinions.
Participants read either default AI summaries, Wikipedia entries, or summaries written to sound liberal or conservative. Compared with Wikipedia, default AI and liberal prompts pushed people to give more liberal answers. Conservative prompts pushed answers in a more conservative direction compared with Wikipedia. The researchers say some bias comes from how models are trained and some from how prompts are written.
Difficult words
- summary — short text giving main factssummaries
- prompt — text input that guides an AI modelprompts
- liberal — political view favoring social change
- conservative — political view preferring tradition and stability
- bias — an unfair or one-sided opinion or idea
- chatbot — computer program that talks with people
- participant — person who takes part in a studyParticipants
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever changed an opinion after reading a short summary? Why or why not?
- Do you trust default AI summaries or Wikipedia more? Explain briefly.
- How could the wording of a summary change a person's view?
Related articles
Tool that Reorders X Feed Reduces Partisan Rancor
Researchers built a browser extension that scans an X feed for antidemocratic and partisan posts and reorders them without removing content or platform cooperation. Tests during the 2024 election showed small but measurable improvements in attitudes toward the other party.
Rumeen Farhana wins Brahmanbaria-2 as an independent
Rumeen Farhana, a Bangladeshi barrister long linked to the BNP, ran as an independent in Brahmanbaria-2 after losing her party nomination. She used a duck symbol, won by 38,000 votes, and says she faced harassment and party conflict.
Luciano Huck criticised over request to 'clean up' Indigenous culture
A behind-the-scenes clip from Luciano Huck's TV shoot at Parque Indígena do Xingu went viral. Indigenous organisations criticised his request to remove visible phones and 'clean up' culture, saying technology is a right and part of daily life.
