Overview

• University of Zurich researchers deployed AI bots on r/ChangeMyView, posting over 1,700 comments under false human personas without user consent.
• The bots used sensitive, tailored personas such as trauma counselors and sexual assault survivors, collecting 20,000 upvotes and 137 deltas in their covert operation.
• Reddit banned all accounts linked to the experiment, filed formal complaints against the university, and condemned the study as unethical and manipulative.
• CEO Steve Huffman announced plans for third-party user verification to confirm humanness and, in some regions, age, while pledging to protect user anonymity.
• Privacy advocates and users have raised concerns over the lack of transparency regarding the verification process and the handling of personal data.