A team of researchers who say they are from the University of Zurich ran an “unauthorized,” large-scale experiment in which they secretly deployed AI-powered bots into a popular debate subreddit called r/changemyview in an attempt to research whether AI could be used to change people’s minds about contentious topics.

more than 1,700 comments made by AI bots

The bots made more than a thousand comments over the course of several months and at times pretended to be a “rape victim,” a “Black man” who was opposed to the Black Lives Matter movement, someone who “work[s] at a domestic violence shelter,” and a bot who suggested that specific types of criminals should not be rehabilitated.

The experiment was revealed over the weekend in a post by moderators of the r/changemyview subreddit, which has more than 3.8 million subscribers. In the post, the moderators said they were unaware of the experiment while it was going on and only found out about it after the researchers disclosed it after the experiment had already been run. In the post, moderators told users they “have a right to know about this experiment,” and that posters in the subreddit had been subject to “psychological manipulation” by the bots.

(14 years ago)

Do you find it easy to learn new languages (human languages, spoken/written, like english spanish etc)? I am about to learn 4th till fluent level and wondering how long it will take. I find it easy to learn words and rules of making sentences from words, but I need practice and for practice I need to socialize, which is a problem. Do you have any suggestions how to make practice and avoid socializing? May be talk to myself only in my new language the whole day?

Photographer: @Zenoctate@lemmy.world

Who would've thought that with the money pumped into a few top Saudi clubs and hosting all the games from the QFs onwards in Saudi, that Saudi clubs would dominate?

Well done to Kawasaki, though. I doubt they'll go any further.

Bedford Borough Council’s Conservative administration has come under fire after confirming that charging residents for green waste collection is now “under consideration”.

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U.S. Reps. Lloyd Doggett and Sylvia Garcia of Texas are pushing an inquiry into whether deals between several prominent law firms' and President Donald Trump constituted the bribe of a government official.

The pair joined 14 other Democratic members in penning letters to nine large firms on Thursday, several of which have offices in Texas, requesting details on how their deals with Trump came together and what exactly they agreed to in order to maintain access within the federal government.

Trump reached the agreements with some of the nation's largest firms after he issued executive orders taking away their attorneys' security clearance and barring government agencies from working with them. Many of those orders were revoked after firms agreed to provide tens of millions of dollars worth of pro bono legal work for causes important to Trump, as well as refraining from hiring practices designed to promote "diversity, equity and inclusion."

Farming has always been at the mercy of the weather, but recent years have seen unprecedented swings in temperature, rainfall, and storms. Droughts dry up fields, floods wash away seeds, and heatwaves scorch crops. These shifts don’t just threaten harvests—they destabilize farm incomes. Solar energy offers a much-needed anchor. By capturing sunlight, a constant even when the weather is wild, farmers can generate reliable electricity regardless of the season. This newfound consistency helps them weather financial storms even when nature is unpredictable.

Recognizing the benefits of clean energy, many governments now offer attractive incentives for solar adoption. These include grants, low-interest loans, and tax breaks designed to lower upfront costs. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s REAP program covers up to 50% of solar installation costs. Such support makes the switch to solar not just appealing, but financially feasible for small and large farms alike. It’s a win-win: farmers get affordable energy, and communities enjoy cleaner air.

So-called “active clubs” have proliferated across the US and are a combination of fitness and mixed martial arts groups that often espouse neo-Nazi and fascist ideologies, openly taking their historical cues from the Third Reich’s obsession with machismo and European soccer hooliganism.

Active clubs have emerged as perhaps the most dangerous form of far-right political organizing today. With links to other militant organizations, including Patriot Front, they encourage a seemingly mainstream version of masculinity, layered with ideologies promoting a US race war and using the popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a gateway to recruiting.

"I don't really understand the notion that he's being blackmailed. The guy has already been convicted of dozens of felonies and has no shame."
Reddit comment: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/1k9vd9d/donald_trump_sends_election_message_to_canadians/mphc0a6/

In reply to, context of:
"Those pee pee tapes Putin has must be really awful"
https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/1k9vd9d/donald_trump_sends_election_message_to_canadians/mph9v4b/

"What to Understand" is "Media content fetish"

The problem is not Donald Trump, it is an audience with poopy-diapers fetish, with pee-pee-video-tape fetish (media content fetish in audiences), who can't comprehend or think anymore. Famous people they want pee pee and poopy diaper fetish content to see, any media star, men and women alike, as long as they are famous / iconic / symbolic. Donald Trump has openly said "when you are a star" people flock to your sexuality.

"What to Understand" is that it isn't just one person, Donald Trump

"I don't really understand the notion that he's being blackmailed." - Monday April 28, 2025 Reddit comment

The "Manchurian population", the entire population of cult members to Donald Trump images and Donald Trump messages / content, are not being blackmailed. Just like Mecca and Saudi Arabia, people are not being blackmailed. It is a misunderstanding of the situation in a democracy driven by media popularity and Reality TV + Reality Twitter values, to think that blackmail of a single person is the force. The force here is hundreds of millions of people, the population of United States of America, who are attracted to the total mockery and mocking that Donald Trump creates. That is his power, not a single person with crimes being blackmailed, but understanding that this is an entire nation who has adopted the values, communications system usage, and thinking of Twitter-think that Donald Trump and Elon Musk (owner of Twitter) promote. This is everyone, not just one man.