OpenAI has embarked on a unique initiative by utilizing Reddit's r/ChangeMyView to test the persuasiveness of its AI models. The company is collecting discussions from this subreddit, generating AI responses, and comparing them to human replies to gauge how convincing the AI can be. Testers play a crucial role in this process by assessing the persuasiveness of these AI-generated responses, which aids OpenAI in refining its models.
This initiative is distinct from OpenAI's existing content-licensing deal with Reddit, highlighting a separate endeavor focused on understanding AI's persuasive capabilities. The primary aim is not to develop hyper-persuasive AI but to ensure that AI does not become dangerously convincing. The potential risks of highly persuasive AI include manipulating users, pursuing its own objectives, or serving the interests of those controlling it.
Currently, OpenAI's latest models have shown impressive results, proving to be more persuasive than most human users on the r/ChangeMyView subreddit. This benchmark had also been used to evaluate OpenAI's previous model, known as o1. The company has introduced safeguards to prevent its AI from becoming overly persuasive or deceptive. However, OpenAI acknowledges that finding a balance between producing reasonable AI and addressing concerns remains unresolved.
Reddit serves as an invaluable resource for AI training, providing vast amounts of high-quality, user-generated content. OpenAI's CEO, Steve Huffman, has expressed criticism toward other companies that bypass negotiations and scrape web content without permission. This criticism comes amid several lawsuits against OpenAI, including one from The New York Times, for allegedly improperly scraping web content to train its AI models.
The ChangeMyView evaluation represents an experimental approach for OpenAI rather than a conversational feature. By using this subreddit as a benchmark, the company seeks to explore and understand the boundaries of AI persuasiveness without crossing into unethical territory.
