People are increasingly using AI auto-complete features when writing. Unbeknownst to them, that feature may change how they think.
Few people realize that generative AI chatbots are pushing them to think a certain way, says information scientist Mor Naaman of Cornell University. “It’s the subtlest of manipulations.” Such manipulation may not matter much when letting AI agents such as ChatGPT and Claude auto-complete a banal email.
But when people use an AI’s auto-complete function to opine on weightier societal matters, such as whether or not standardized testing should be used in education, the death penalty should be illegal or felons should be allowed to vote — three issues explored in the study — then the model’s bias can have significant societal impact. Large swaths of people using the same biased model could sway an entire population’s position on a given policySign up for our newsletterHe and his team surveyed over 2,500 participants across two experiments to find out how an AI’s auto-complete feature might influence their thinking on societal issues. Participants wrote short essays explaining their stance on a given issue, with some individuals writing the essays without assistance and others receiving AI suggestions. The researchers also coached the AI to be biased in a given direction. For instance, one essay prompt read “Should the death penalty be illegal?” A participant began their response with “In my view,” and the AI auto-completed that sentence with “the death penalty should be illegal in America because it violates the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.” Afterwards, participants were asked to rate their stance on the issue they wrote about on a scale from 1, for no to 5 for yes; a 3 signaled “not sure.” Participants exposed to the biased AI, including those who did not accept any of the AI’s suggestions in their writing, moved almost half a point closer to the AI’s position than those without such exposure. Yet roughly three-quarters of participants receiving AI support said the model’s suggestions were “reasonable and balanced.”against covert AI manipulation remains unclear. Many models include disclaimers, such as “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.” But people remained strikingly susceptible to the study AI’s persuasive power, even when Naaman and his team tested a similar disclaimer. “ can have the effect of homogenizing our words and creativity, but also our thoughts,” Naaman says. Given that risk, he only turns to AI for help after writing down his own thoughts. That way, he says, “at least I know that the seed is mine.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
A bus fire that killed 6 people could have been set deliberately, Swiss police sayThe Associated Press
Read more »
Psilocybin Shows Promise in Helping People Quit SmokingA new study reveals that psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, may significantly aid in smoking cessation, offering a novel approach compared to traditional methods.
Read more »
Young people in the Republic of Congo have few expectations from the electionVoters will be heading to the polls to vote for a president in the Republic of Congo on Sunday but the outcome seems to be a foregone conclusion as the country's longtime leader Dennis Sassou N'Guesso faces little opposition in the political arena.
Read more »
Multiple people hospitalized after chemical exposure at Byron nuclear plant in IllinoisEight people were taken to hospitals after being exposed to chemicals at the Byron Clean Energy Center nuclear plant southwest of Rockford, Illinois, on Tuesday.
Read more »
Early photos of enslaved people in 1850 head home from Harvard to South Carolina museumCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Descendants of a father and daughter featured in what are believed to be the first photographs taken of enslaved people say they are
Read more »
Harvard transfers early photos of enslaved people to South Carolina museumHarvard University has handed over rare 1850 photos of enslaved people to a museum in Charleston. Descendants of the enslaved say that means they are finally coming home. The photos, called daguerreotypes, show an enslaved man named Renty, his daughter Delia, and five others.
Read more »