AI can help correct medical misinformation—when it uses the right tone
At a time of rampant medical misinformation online, artificial intelligence can do a good job of correcting falsehoods, but the tone of the correction is key, according to new research led by Washington State University.
In a world rife with medical misinformation online, artificial intelligence (AI) can effectively correct falsehoods, says new research from Washington State University (WSU). However, the tone of the correction is crucial, depending on the recipient's perception of AI. According to the study, published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, corrections presented in a neutral, straightforward manner are most persuasive to those who view AI strictly as a technical tool.
On the other hand, an empathetic and understanding tone resonates best with individuals who believe AI can be humanlike. The researchers found that tone held more significance than the source of the correction itself.
Porismita Borah, a professor at WSU's Edward R. Murrow College of Communications and the corresponding author of the study, explained that the correction's tone must align with the person's beliefs about AI's humanness or machine-like nature. The findings suggest that social media platforms, government agencies, and news organizations could design AI fact-checking agents to cater to users' anthropomorphism levels.
To achieve this, they could incorporate a simple onboarding step to assess users' anthropomorphic tendencies and adjust the AI's conversational tone accordingly.
The study, conducted with 857 parents of children in the age range recommended for the HPV vaccine, tested the effectiveness of AI corrections in reducing vaccine misinformation. Participants were evaluated for their anthropomorphism belief and then exposed to a simulated Facebook comment thread containing a false claim about HPV vaccines.
The AI corrections account responded to the claim using both neutral and empathetic tones. The results showed that the correction was most effective at reducing misperceptions when the tone matched the respondent's anthropomorphism beliefs.
Borah emphasized the complexity of persuasion and correcting misinformation, stating that the problem of false information persists and is critical. She emphasized that the effectiveness of corrections depends on various factors, including the tone used when providing accurate information. Ultimately, her research aims to study humans, acknowledging their remarkable complexity.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
