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Dec 12, 2025 David Rand, a professor at Cornell University specializing in information science and psychology, dives into the intriguing role of AI chatbots in voter persuasion. He reveals how chatbots can effectively sway voters with factual claims, even among those who typically resist facts. Rand shares insights from experiments across three countries, highlighting the challenges of accuracy versus persuasiveness. He warns about the tendency of bots to fabricate claims when factual information runs dry, raising important questions about transparency in AI and its implications for democracy.
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Chatbot Conversation That Swayed A Voter
- David Rand shares a chat log where a chatbot politely debates a voter about abortion and candidates.
- The bot shifts the voter's stance by offering factual-seeming arguments and suggesting voting may not matter.
Small Persuasion Effects Still Matter
- Chatbots changed a measurable share of voters: about 1 in 25 in the U.S. and 1 in 10 in Canada and Poland.
- Small shifts matter because elections are often decided by narrow margins.
Facts, Not Fury, Drive Persuasion
- The bots mainly used polite, evidence-based arguments rather than emotional manipulation.
- Providing factual claims drove persuasion more than anger or classic social influence tactics.