Could AI chatbots counter conspiracy theories?

Send us a textCould AI chatbots counter conspiracy theories? If people believe in conspiracy theories, how likely are they to think again when presented with facts and evidence? The good news is that people can shift their view when wacky theories are debunked according to a study just published in the journal Science. The researchers created an AI chatbot that engaged with people and presented them with facts to counter their dodgy beliefs. The study team invited people to state why they believed a conspiracy theory, and fed those responses into GPT4. The chatbot was instructed to be a persuasive sceptic. Thomas Costello, Assistant Professor of Psychology at American University in Washington DC is one of the authors and is on the show. Potential ban of Chinese EV’s in the USThe US is giving notice on Chinese and Russian manufactured ‘smart cars’ – it’s talking seriously about proposing to ban sales or imports of such connected vehicles. That comes from a White House announcement this week. It’s not a trade war, says the US, but a matter of national security. Gareth and Ania discuss the proposed new rules. Original source of migrants eating pets fake news story “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there…” said Donald Trump in the televised Presidential debate… Where did such an extreme claim come from? Jack Brewster, Enterprise Editor at NewsGuard found the original comment with his colleague. We hear how he did it. The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell and the studio expert is Ania Lichtarowicz. More on this week's stories: Durably reducing conspiracy beliefs through dialogues with AI Biden wants to ban Chinese software in 'smart cars' over security concerns How false claims of pet-eating immigrants caught on Support the showEditor: Ania LichtarowiczProduction Manager: Liz Tuohy Recording and audio editing : Lansons | Team Farner For new episodes, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or via this link:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2265960/supporters/newFollow us on all the socials:Join our Facebook groupInstagramTwitter/XIf you like Somewhere on Earth, please rate and review it on Apple PodcastsContact us by email: [email protected] us a voice note: via WhatsApp: +44 7486 329 484Find a Story + Make it News = Change the WorldLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast--6924871/support.Production manager: Liz TuohyEditor: Ania Lichtarowicz  Somewhere on Earth Productions UK Ltd. We’re a UK based production company creating podcasts and branded content that bring stories, places and people into focus. We’re all ex-BBC so the quality of the content is excellent and quality of the sound is amazing.🎥 Learn more about what we do: ➡️ Official Website: https://somewhereonearth.co/ 📩 Contact us or book a project: [email protected] ➡️ Email: [email protected]   📱 Follow us on socials:➡️ Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/soeptech/?hl=en) ➡️ Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/httpssomewhereonearth.co)➡️ LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast)    If you like our show please rate and review us.