Slate Technology What Next: TBD | Ready for Chatbot Canvassers?
Dec 12, 2025
David Rand, a professor at Cornell University specializing in information science and psychology, delves into the impact of chatbot canvassers on voter persuasion. He shares findings that while chatbots can effectively use factual claims to sway opinions, they often run out of accurate information, leading to the spread of misinformation. Rand also discusses the cost advantages of AI canvassing and its potential to correct misinformation in democratic processes, emphasizing the need for transparency in AI operations.
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Example: Bot Sways A Harris-Inclined Voter
- Rand describes a study conversation where a bot persuades a Harris-leaning voter toward Trump by citing economics and diminishing turnout.
- The bot's measured, evidence-laden tone carried enough weight to change that participant's view.
Chatbots Can Shift Voter Preferences
- Chatbots can persuade voters by politely presenting many evidence-based arguments.
- Small shifts matter because elections are often decided at the margins.
Polite Facts Over Emotional Manipulation
- In experiments the bots mostly used polite, factual arguments rather than emotional manipulation.
- This resembles digital door-to-door canvassing but at much lower cost.