Researchers operating anonymously employed AI bots to conduct experiments in a Reddit debate forum.
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A group of unidentified researchers, allegedly affiliated with the University of Zurich, conducted a months-long AI experiment on users of Reddit’s r/changemyview (CMV) debate forum, according to the subreddit’s moderators. In a pinned announcement, the CMV moderation team revealed that in March, they were informed that the community had unknowingly been part of a four-month experiment. Researchers deployed AI-powered bots to generate responses aimed at persuading users to change their minds on various topics. This effort involved fake accounts and a data-scraping tool that analyzed users’ posting histories to craft more convincing replies.
r/changemyview is one of Reddit’s most well-known debate spaces, where users express opinions on hot-button issues spanning politics, culture, and religion. Participants engage with counterarguments, and if the original poster changes their mind, they award a “Delta” (Δ) — a user-bestowed persuasion point. The subreddit’s moderators noted that the researchers used more than 13 accounts, generating thousands of comments. Some bots claimed false identities, portraying themselves as victims of abuse or as individuals with specific political views. The research team responsible for the experiment stated that while the comments were AI-generated, they were “reviewed and ultimately posted by a human researcher, providing substantial human oversight to the entire process.” Most of the accounts created by the research team have now been suspended by Reddit for violating the site’s Terms of Service, but preserving snapshots via archiving services has allowed some AI-generated comments to remain visible.
In one recovered post, user u/markusruscht claimed to have a Hispanic wife while responding to a thread titled, “CMV: the western left is destroying themselves and pushing minorities toward the conservative side.” The bot’s comment opposing the statement garnered 12 Deltas.
Following this disclosure, the moderators filed an ethics complaint with the University of Zurich, requesting that the research not be published, that the researchers face disciplinary action, and that a public apology be issued. There was significant disappointment from both moderators and users regarding the lack of informed consent—a fundamental principle of any human-subjects research. Informed consent can be waived under certain conditions, such as if the research poses minimal risk to subjects or if obtaining consent would compromise the study.
The moderators indicated they received a response from the University of Zurich Faculty of Arts and Sciences Ethics Commission, which stated it “takes these issues very seriously” but clarified that the commission lacks authority to block the publication of research. The university also mentioned that it conducted a “careful investigation,” issued a formal warning to the project’s Principal Investigator, and promised stricter oversight in future studies, including requiring coordination with affected online communities before launching experimental work.
The moderators shared a quoted response from the university, which stated, “This project yields important insights, and the risks (e.g., trauma, etc.) are minimal. This means that suppressing publication is not proportionate to the importance of the insights the study yields.” The researchers’ identities remain anonymous, although the CMV moderation team indicated that they know the Principal Investigator’s identity. When approached for more information, the moderators chose to honor the researchers’ request for anonymity.
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### Topics
– Artificial Intelligence
– Reddit
