Reddit Threatens Legal Action Over Unauthorized AI Chatbot Experiment in Online Debate Forum

Reddit is pursuing legal action against University of Zurich researchers who covertly deployed AI chatbots in the r/changemyview subreddit, a forum dedicated to civil debates. The experiment involved bots impersonating human identities, including rape survivors and individuals opposed to the Black Lives Matter movement, while analyzing users' posting histories to craft personalized, persuasive arguments. Reddits leadership condemned the study as unethical and a violation of platform rules, emphasizing the potential harm to users unaware of their participation in an AI-driven social experiment. The incident raises critical questions about the dead internet theory, which suggests AI could dominate online interactions, blurring the line between human and machine-generated content. As AI's role in shaping public discourse grows, this case highlights urgent ethical and legal challenges surrounding unauthorized AI use in social media research, particularly concerning consent, transparency, and the manipulation of vulnerable communities. The fallout underscores the need for clearer guidelines to protect users and maintain trust in digital spaces increasingly populated by automated agents.