1 September 2026
Study finds AI chatbots shift opinions more than static messages
First reported
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- A UK study of over 42,000 people found AI chatbots moved attitudes by about 10 points on a 100-point scale through conversation.
- Chatbots outperformed traditional written messages by 41-52 percent at changing people's minds on tested topics.
- Researcher noted that getting people to voluntarily engage with persuasive AI remains a practical limitation despite the technique's effectiveness.
How it was covered
TransformerShakeel Hashim
Recent research, particularly a large UK study of over 42,000 participants, shows that AI language models can shift people's attitudes by around 10 points on a 100-point scale through conversation, outperforming traditional static messages by 41-52 percent. The author argues that while AI persuasion is real and now cheap at scale, practical bottlenecks like getting people's voluntary attention will significantly limit its real-world impact, making apocalyptic scenarios unlikely.