Can AI talk us out of conspiracy theories? (with Cornell University's David Rand) | Pioneers of AI

From deepfakes to fabricated news, AI has been shown to generate convincing deceptive images and videos, increasing the spread of misinformation. David Rand, a professor of Information Science and marketing at Cornell University, is using the same technology for a different purpose: debunking those very same conspiracy theories. In a recent and groundbreaking study, Rand and his team asked participants who believed in conspiracies to talk with an AI chatbot specifically designed to reduce those beliefs. The results were surprising. Rand joins Pioneers of AI to discuss what makes conspiracy theories so alluring, how AI can be a powerful tool for debunking them through fact-based conversations, and what this could mean for combating other forms of misinformation. 00:00 - introducing David Rand 01:58 - What is a conspiracy theory? 03:12 - The psychology behind conspiracy theories 06:26 - Why use AI to debunk conspiracy theories 08:25 - What makes a conspiracy theory successful? 09:43 - How David conducted the study 16:13 - The results 17:01 - Do you the affects last? 18:02 - Using an AI vs an expert for the study 20:03 - How this specific use of AI is deployed in the real world 21:46 - How David used AI to debunk an emerging conspiracy theory 24:45 - Using AI to explain the racial wealth gap to Republicans 27:31 - Other uses cases 28:34 - Being human in the age of AI 🎧 LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pioneers-of-ai/id1763085968 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6gbpjgcqJ40rtPrHnXeOWG 💻 LEARN MORE Our website: https://www.pioneersof.ai/ ⚡JOIN OUR COMMUNITY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pioneersofai/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pioneersofai Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pioneersofai X: https://twitter.com/pioneersofAI TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@pioneersofai 💡ABOUT US Pioneers of AI is your guide to the latest technological frontier. Each week, host Rana el Kaliouby (AI scientist, investor, author, co-founder of Affectiva) is joined by the leading creators, critics, and thinkers behind mind-blowing technology and asks the important questions about how artificial intelligence is changing the way we live. As we venture together into the unknown, Pioneers is your tool to understanding and anticipating what comes next.