Conspiracy theories can take many forms, from misgivings about the first moon landing to false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. As anyone who’s tried to reason with a conspiracy theorist knows, it’s hard to debunk such deeply held beliefs – and arguing with a loved one about them can be emotionally taxing. What if an AI chatbot could help? A recent study, published in Science, asked that very question — and the results were surprising. Thomas Costello, an assistant professor of psychology at American University and co-author of the study, breaks down the findings.

Try chatting with the bot yourself at debunkbot.com.

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