Overview

• University of Zurich researchers secretly used AI chatbots on r/ChangeMyView, impersonating real users and analyzing posting histories without consent to test AI's persuasive abilities.
• The bots posted approximately 1,700 comments between November 2024 and March 2025, creating false personas, including sensitive backstories, to manipulate opinions.
• Reddit's chief legal officer, Ben Lee, publicly condemned the study as unethical and announced formal legal actions against the researchers and the university.
• The University of Zurich has halted publication of the study’s findings and launched an internal investigation into the researchers’ actions and ethics oversight processes.
• Reddit is strengthening its safeguards to prevent undisclosed AI content, highlighting concerns about transparency and the ethical use of AI in online communities.