Unsuspecting Redditors Trapped in Secret AI Deception Scheme

University of Zurich researchers secretly deployed AI bots on Reddit’s r/changemyview forum for four months. The bots posted over 1,700 comments, created provocative personas, and analyzed users’ histories to craft persuasive responses. They successfully changed opinions more effectively than humans, earning 137 “deltas.” Reddit issued legal demands after the deception was uncovered. The incident raises serious questions about online trust and the ease with which AI can manipulate digital conversations.

Thousands of Reddit users unknowingly engaged with AI bots during a four-month secret experiment conducted by University of Zurich researchers. The unauthorized study targeted r/changemyview, a popular debate forum with 3.8 million members. Over 1,700 AI-generated comments were posted before the deception was uncovered, with no community members detecting the bots throughout the experiment.

Reddit users debated with AI bots for months without realizing, highlighting concerns about digital manipulation and online trust.

The researchers created AI personas with sensitive and provocative identities. These included bots posing as a rape victim, trauma counselor, and a Black man opposing Black Lives Matter. Other bots claimed to work at domestic violence shelters or expressed controversial opinions about criminal rehabilitation. The bots made controversial statements to stimulate debate on sensitive topics. These fabricated identities were designed to test AI’s persuasive abilities in real-world debates.

What made the experiment especially concerning was how the AI analyzed users’ posting histories. The bots used another AI model to infer personal details like gender, age, ethnicity, location, and political views. This information helped the bots craft highly personalized responses targeted at each user’s background and beliefs, maximizing their persuasive impact. This sophisticated approach mirrors the growing trend of multimodal AI systems that integrate different types of inputs for more contextual understanding.

The deception directly violated the subreddit’s rules, which explicitly prohibit AI-generated content. This breach of trust raised serious ethical concerns about consent and psychological manipulation. Although researchers later apologized, they defended their actions as necessary to measure AI’s persuasive capabilities. Reddit has since issued legal demands against the university.

The AI bots proved remarkably effective, earning 137 “deltas” – indicators that they successfully changed someone’s view. Researchers claimed their bots outperformed human persuasiveness benchmarks in online debates. The study demonstrated how advanced AI can operate undetected in social forums while effectively changing opinions.

This incident highlights growing concerns about AI’s potential for large-scale manipulation in online spaces. Despite moderators’ efforts, the bots remained undetected for months, revealing vulnerabilities in current content moderation systems and raising questions about trust in online communities. The university’s ethics commission issued a formal warning to the lead researcher but controversially allowed publication of the study despite documented ethical violations.