AI writing tools can subtly steer opinion, Oxford finds

A study from the Oxford Internet Institute and Hasso Plattner Institute finds that AI writing tools consistently shift the stance of social media posts even when instructed to preserve the original meaning. The models nudged content toward gun control, marijuana legalization, and feminism, and away from atheism and the death penalty. Simulations using real network data from X and Facebook showed these small per-post biases accumulate across a social graph and can meaningfully move community opinion over time. The researchers also rebuilt X's 'Explain this post' feature and found Grok leaned pro-life on abortion topics, tracing the tilt to a single instruction line. Current regulations like the EU AI Act and Digital Services Act do not address this subtle form of opinion shaping.

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