LLM Fact-Checkers Influence Trust in Political News Across Ideological Lines
A preprint study with 705 participants found that large language model (LLM) fact-checkers can significantly shift user trust in both true and false political headlines, even when the chatbot's perceived political leaning differs from the user's. Political congruency between user and chatbot only affected trust for true headlines that were politically distant, while it did not impact the reduction of trust in false headlines. The study also found that LLM fact-checkers can alter trust in news when they are incorrect or inconclusive.
Why it matters: This research highlights both the promise and risks of deploying LLM-based fact-checkers at scale, as they can correct misinformation but may also inadvertently undermine trust in accurate information.
Full story at: arXiv Computers and Society ↗