Durably reducing conspiracy beliefs through dialogues with AI

IF 44.7 1区综合性期刊 Q1 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES

Science Pub Date : 2024-09-13 DOI:10.1126/science.adq1814

Thomas H. Costello, Gordon Pennycook, David G. Rand

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Conspiracy theory beliefs are notoriously persistent. Influential hypotheses propose that they fulfill important psychological needs, thus resisting counterevidence. Yet previous failures in correcting conspiracy beliefs may be due to counterevidence being insufficiently compelling and tailored. To evaluate this possibility, we leveraged developments in generative artificial intelligence and engaged 2190 conspiracy believers in personalized evidence-based dialogues with GPT-4 Turbo. The intervention reduced conspiracy belief by ~20%. The effect remained 2 months later, generalized across a wide range of conspiracy theories, and occurred even among participants with deeply entrenched beliefs. Although the dialogues focused on a single conspiracy, they nonetheless diminished belief in unrelated conspiracies and shifted conspiracy-related behavioral intentions. These findings suggest that many conspiracy theory believers can revise their views if presented with sufficiently compelling evidence.

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通过与人工智能对话持久减少阴谋论信念

阴谋论信念的顽固性是出了名的。有影响力的假说认为它们满足了重要的心理需求，从而抵制了反证。然而，以前在纠正阴谋论信念方面的失败可能是由于反证不够有说服力和针对性。为了评估这种可能性，我们利用生成式人工智能的发展，让 2190 名阴谋论信仰者与 GPT-4 Turbo 进行基于证据的个性化对话。干预使阴谋论信仰减少了约 20%。这种效果在 2 个月后依然存在，并在广泛的阴谋论中得到了推广，甚至在信念根深蒂固的参与者中也出现了这种效果。虽然对话集中在一个阴谋上，但它们还是降低了对不相关阴谋的信念，并改变了与阴谋相关的行为意图。这些研究结果表明，如果有足够令人信服的证据，许多阴谋论信仰者可以修正自己的观点。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Science 综合性期刊-综合性期刊

CiteScore

61.10

自引率

0.90%

发文量

审稿时长

2.1 months

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