AI is a worryingly good persuader — but real-world influence is another matter
ShakeelHashim · x · 2026-09-03
- Oxford researcher Felix M. Simon argues in Transformer that while latest models show remarkable persuasive ability — one preprint found chatbots outperformed seasoned campaigners at getting people to part with money — panic is premature.
- He distinguishes persuasion (changing minds via inspectable reasons) from manipulation (bypassing that via deception), a conflation that clouds the debate.
- Turning persuasion into meaningful real-world influence is far harder than the experiments suggest, at least for now.
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