Bots with good manners are better at fooling people on social media
Surfshark's study of 1,722 participants found people detect only 40% of AI bots on social media, with polite, positive bots hardest to identify.
Surfshark tested 1,722 participants worldwide on distinguishing human comments from AI-generated ones in a simulated social media environment. Overall detection was 40%: positive, agreeable bots were flagged 38% of the time versus 50.2% for negative ones, and plain-language bots were caught only 35% of the time while emoji-heavy bots were caught over 60%. Detection declined with age, bottoming out among users over 50, and was weaker on serious topics, raising concerns about agreeable bots enabling manipulation and social engineering.
- Only 40% of AI bots were detected across 1,722 participants
- Positive bots detected 38% versus 50.2% for negative ones
- Plain-language bots caught 35%; emoji-heavy bots over 60%
- Detection lowest among over-50s and on serious topics
From the original article
2 min read at helpnetsecurity.com
Most people can’t tell a bot from a human online, and the bots most likely to fool them are the polite ones, according to a new Surfshark study. The company analyzed 1,722 participants worldwide, testing their ability to separate human comments from AI-generated ones in a social media setting. Overall, people caught just 40% of the bots placed in front of them.
By Sinisa Markovic · helpnetsecurity.com
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