Changemyview UZH study timeline summary

  • The r/changemyview forum is a platform where users post opinions on a range of topics and invite others to discuss, with the goal of understanding different perspectives.

  • Researchers from the University of Zurich (UZH) designed a study to test how persuasive large language models (LLMs) could be by posting AI‑generated comments on Reddit’s r/changemyview forum.

  • Researchers had been advised by a university ethics committee that “the rules of the platform should be fully complied with,” but noted its recommendations are not “legally binding.”

  • The study was carried out without obtaining informed consent from the forum’s users, who were unaware that some comments were produced by AI.

  • 17 March 2025: After the experiment had run for 4 months, that the r/changemyview moderators—volunteers who run the community—received a message from the researchers informing them of the experiment.

  • Moderators, along with Reddit administrators, condemned the study as “improper and highly unethical,” citing a breach of platform policy.

  • Reddit banned the accounts used for the study and indicated that it was considering legal action against the researchers.

  • The university announced it would implement stricter ethics review procedures for future research projects.

  • Researchers apologized to the Reddit community, announced they would not publish the study’s findings and had permanently ended the use of the dataset. “We did not intend to cause distress to the community and offer our full and deeply felt apology. The study was carried out in good faith, to better understand the persuasive potential of language models. However, the reactions of the community of disappointment and frustration have made us regret the discomfort that the study may have caused.”

  • Preliminary results from the study suggested that AI‑generated comments were more persuasive than comparable human comments.

Sources of the quotes:

  • https://www.engadget.com/ai/researchers-secretly-experimented-on-reddit-users-with-ai-generated-comments-194328026.html
  • https://retractionwatch.com/2025/04/29/ethics-committee-ai-llm-reddit-changemyview-university-zurich/
  • https://www.research-live.com/article/news/researchers-used-reddit-to-conduct-undisclosed-aibased-study/id/5138783