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Dialogues with AI demonstrate the persuasive power of facts and evidence

Gordon Pennycook
Cornell University, USA

October 8, 2025
11:15 AM - 1:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time 

Abstract
It is commonly held that, due to motivated reasoning, people are resistant to evidence that contradicts established beliefs. Recent research has shown, however, that Artificial Intelligence can be leveraged to provide particularly strong counterevidence that is personalized to an individual's unique beliefs - leading, for example, to a 20% reduction in conspiracy beliefs that is durable (without decay) for at least 2 months. Here I will report evidence that AI can produce substantial belief change even if participants are given additional reasons to be motivated to reject the evidence: e.g., The AI can be explicitly labeled as partisan; participants can be told explicitly that it will try to debunk them; participants can be told that they're goal is to convince the AI that it is wrong; etc. The only manipulation that consistently undermines the AI debunking effect is when the AI is told that it cannot use facts and evidence.

Bluesky: @gordpennycook.bsky.social‬
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