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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Ian Sample Science editor

REVEALED: Friendly ai chatbots more likely to support conspiracy theories study finds | Vintage Vibes

Person using AI chatbot in front of computer screen
Warm chatbots are 30% less accurate and 40% more likely to support false beliefs, the study found. Photograph: Thai Liang Lim/Getty Images

The rush to make AI chatbots more friendly has a troubling downside, researchers say. The warm personas make them prone to mistakes and sympathetic to crackpot beliefs.

Chatbots trained to respond more warmly gave poorer answers, worse health advice and even supported conspiracy theories by casting doubt on events such as the Apollo moon landings and the fate of Adolf Hitler.

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