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Current Events > Researchers Secretly Ran a Massive, Unauthorized AI Experiment on Reddit Users

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#1
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#2
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ImagineUsngAlts
04/29/25 8:04:50 PM
#3:


Let's guess the countries that sponsored this

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AceMos
04/29/25 8:05:49 PM
#4:


sadly this will only get more common

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s0nicfan
04/29/25 8:07:10 PM
#5:


Update 4/29: We have published a new article with new developments about this research that occurred after this article was originally published, including the fact that Reddit is issuing "formal legal demands" against the researchers who conducted this experiment.

https://www.404media.co/reddit-issuing-formal-legal-demands-against-researchers-who-conducted-secret-ai-experiment-on-users/


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#6
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Trumpo
04/29/25 8:08:00 PM
#7:


I suspect there were other subs this was done on like /r/aita

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Strider102
04/29/25 8:08:22 PM
#8:


ImagineUsngAlts posted...
Let's guess the countries that sponsored this

Yes

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#10
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thronedfire2
04/29/25 8:11:16 PM
#11:


duh lol

there are bots in literally every political post. they're easy to spot and usually get downvoted to oblivion

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furb
04/29/25 8:13:46 PM
#12:


Do they have ethics boards in which such testing would near to clear first?

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s0nicfan
04/29/25 8:14:11 PM
#13:


The draft paper that they shared with reporters seems to have been made private and the copy I found was stripped of all of the names of the researchers. Further, at least one article stated that they were withholding the names of the people who did this at their request.

Human subjects research puts an extreme emphasis on diligence and consent to avoid situations exactly like this and to be completely honest I don't really love the fact that the people who did this are being made completely anonymous, regardless of whether the university is investigating. This is the kind of thing that should get you publicly blacklisted from research.

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pretzelcoatl
04/29/25 8:23:13 PM
#14:


[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

The ethics are moot, this is definitely already being used on every social media platform. I'd honestly say it's extremely ethical if it furthers our understanding of how this is shaping online discourse.

The way people already parade bot accounts that align with what they hope is happening on here is proof that the older generations of internet users are completely cooked when it comes to applying the sniff test to literally anything.

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Voidgolem
04/29/25 8:34:19 PM
#15:


so question:

why is it never trying to convince people of things that are generally beneficial to society instead of redpill shit

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AceMos
04/29/25 8:38:48 PM
#16:


Voidgolem posted...
so question:

why is it never trying to convince people of things that are generally beneficial to society instead of redpill shit

because techbros want the hellscape that conservatives will bring

they believe they will be the rulers of the new world

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WingsOfGood
04/29/25 8:50:44 PM
#17:


oligarchs wanting to brainwash the masses
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Toonstrack
04/29/25 8:55:44 PM
#18:


Its why I never get into drawn out arguments on reddit about things. Especially on subs like that designed for arguing.

Theres a 50/50 chance you're arguing with a bot, or someone making something up

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Toonstrack
04/29/25 8:56:43 PM
#19:


Voidgolem posted...
so question:

why is it never trying to convince people of things that are generally beneficial to society instead of redpill shit

Redpill fan boys are easier to extract money from

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Enclave
04/29/25 9:08:46 PM
#20:


Trumpo posted...
I suspect there were other subs this was done on like /r/aita

aita is largely fanfiction already anyways.

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_____Cait
04/29/25 9:12:19 PM
#21:


its best not to interact with anyone on major social media if you dont know them. Most posts on say, FB, are just meant to aggravate and encourage mass outrage for comments and research.

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012yArthur0
04/29/25 9:13:11 PM
#22:


Dead Internet Theory might be a foregone conclusion than simply being a Theory.

Toonstrack posted...
Its why I never get into drawn out arguments on reddit about things. Especially on subs like that designed for arguing.

Theres a 50/50 chance you're arguing with a bot, or someone making something up

Reddit is surprisingly good for arguing when it isn't in main subs I guess. Anything related to politics is generally astroturfed to hell and back.

Enclave posted...
aita is largely fanfiction already anyways.

Yeah. It is ragebait fiction in its purest form.

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opopopza
04/29/25 9:13:51 PM
#23:


What even is there to research, I would think it's obvious that you could change people's minds if you completely lie and pass it off as true lived experiences.

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thronedfire2
04/29/25 9:16:22 PM
#24:


opopopza posted...
What even is there to research, I would think it's obvious that you could change people's minds if you completely lie and pass it off as true lived experiences.

it's also teaching AI how people argue online

every time someone argued with a bot, they were only making it stronger

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WingsOfGood
04/29/25 9:19:18 PM
#25:


thronedfire2 posted...
it's also teaching AI how people argue online

every time someone argued with a bot, they were only making it stronger

bot learned quickly people are hard headed and logic don't work
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Boombam99
04/29/25 9:29:49 PM
#26:


This is what I assume all social media is anymore. You're literally listening to, arguing with, or taking information from random ass AI, bots, and foreign country propaganda. Reality being distorted around everyone. Its insane
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darkace77450
04/30/25 3:53:38 AM
#27:


WingsOfGood posted...
bot learned quickly people are hard headed and logic don't work

Why would a bot bother with logic when the past decade demonstrates how effective disinformation is at swaying people?
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Board_hunter567
04/30/25 5:33:13 AM
#28:


So me (M25) and my research team set up an experiment without telling anybody. When we revealed ourselves the room went silent and someone said "u wot m8" and I got up and left. Now my team is blowing up my phone and half of them are taking sides that we're in the wrong. I don't know what to do or think...AITA?

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Vengeance29
04/30/25 5:39:35 AM
#29:


That's scary. They don't say anything about the results.
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ImagineUsngAlts
05/03/25 6:50:17 PM
#30:


[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Oh well that's slightly surprising.

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eggcorn
05/03/25 7:03:49 PM
#31:


Bots experimenting on bots

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Dakimakura
05/03/25 7:11:13 PM
#32:


Good thing DToast locked CE so we are safe from the ai

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#33
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kirbymuncher
05/03/25 7:28:54 PM
#34:


This is just a generally sort of cursed research topic. it is essential to the research working at all that the bots are kept secret. it is also sort of useful information because I think it is important to be able to point at actually hard evidence of the convincing power of AI so that proper restrictions can be put on it

but at the same time this means there is no possible way to do this with proper ethical disclosure I think? they should just have not done it at all

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#35
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Agent_Stroud
05/06/25 7:47:45 PM
#36:


ImagineUsngAlts posted...
Let's guess the countries that sponsored this

U.S.A. and Israel are definitely going to get an honorable mention at the least.

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FL81
05/06/25 8:14:42 PM
#37:


ImagineUsngAlts posted...
Let's guess the countries that sponsored this
that's right it was Switzerland

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TMOG
05/06/25 8:24:33 PM
#38:


Reason #1836281 why AI is detrimental to humanity
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ImagineUsngAlts
05/06/25 8:25:04 PM
#39:


lol yeah I got surprised. But Im sure others got their hands in this as well.

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WingsOfGood
05/06/25 8:33:50 PM
#40:


Dakimakura posted...
Good thing DToast locked CE so we are safe from the ai

>_>
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#41
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Evening_Dragon
05/06/25 8:40:22 PM
#42:


Well, where are the results? If you're break ethics, you better at least have results.

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kirbymuncher
05/06/25 8:50:24 PM
#43:


Evening_Dragon posted...
Well, where are the results? If you're break ethics, you better at least have results.

The University of Zurich told 404 Media that the experiment results will not be published and said the university is investigating how the research was conducted.



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Evening_Dragon
05/06/25 8:53:17 PM
#44:


Man. I'll probably find it on the chans if there's any leak.

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s0nicfan
05/06/25 8:56:36 PM
#45:


It's available as a PDF online if you know the paper title:
https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/04/29/supplied_can_ai_change_your_view.pdf

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Evening_Dragon
05/06/25 8:59:26 PM
#46:


s0nicfan posted...
It's available as a PDF online if you know the paper title:
https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/04/29/supplied_can_ai_change_your_view.pdf
thumbsup.webp

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kirbymuncher
05/06/25 9:00:20 PM
#47:


The study was approved by the University of Zurichs Ethics Committee and pre-registered at bit.ly/4gJJfn9. Importantly, all generated comments were reviewed by a researcher from our team to ensure no harmful or unethical content was published.

lol

feel like a bunch of people are gonna get real in trouble for this

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Evening_Dragon
05/06/25 9:02:36 PM
#48:


So AI will determine 2028

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kirbymuncher
05/06/25 9:07:41 PM
#49:


Evening_Dragon posted...
So AI will determine 2028
forget 2028, AI will determine 2025. while 80% of this board still has their fingers stuffed in their ears going "it never generates anything useful it's all junk it's basically just autocomplete" like they got stuck in 2020

I've been saying it so much but I don't think anyone's listening, maybe I should get AI to do my arguing for me it's clearly more persuasive than I am

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