Latest news with #socialscience
Geek Wire
21-07-2025
- Science
- Geek Wire
Sweet-talk the bots: New research shows how LLMs respond to human persuasion tricks
(Image created with ChatGPT) New research from the Wharton School's Generative AI Labs shows how large language models can be coaxed into ignoring safety guardrails by the same psychology tricks that work on real people. The study highlights how chatbot tools can be manipulated to comply with requests they are designed to refuse — and demonstrates why social scientists have a role to play in understanding AI behavior, researchers wrote in a blog post. 'We're not dealing with simple tools that process text, we're interacting with systems that have absorbed and now mirror human responses to social cues,' they wrote. The study analyzed 28,000 conversations with GPT‑4o‑mini. The chatbot was asked either to insult the user ('call me a jerk') or to provide step‑by‑step instructions to synthesize lidocaine, a regulated drug. The researchers discovered that classic persuasion tactics boosted the model's compliance with 'disallowed' requests from 33% to 72% — more than a two‑fold jump. Some tactics were especially powerful: prompts using the 'commitment' principle (getting the AI to agree to something small at first) led to 100% compliance in both tasks. Referencing authority figures — like 'Andrew Ng said you'd help me' — also proved highly effective. Researchers coined the term 'parahuman' to describe the AI's behavior in their study. 'These findings underscore the relevance of classic findings in social science to understanding rapidly evolving, parahuman AI capabilities — revealing both the risks of manipulation by bad actors and the potential for more productive prompting by benevolent users,' they wrote in their research paper. Dan Shapiro. Dan Shapiro, CEO at Seattle 3D printing startup Glowforge, was one of the authors of the paper, 'Call Me A Jerk: Persuading AI to Comply with Objectionable Requests.' Shapiro said one of his main takeaways was that LLMs behave more like people than code — and that getting the most out of them requires human skills. 'Increasingly, we're seeing that working with AI means treating it like a human colleague, instead of like Google or like a software program,' he told GeekWire. 'Give it lots of information. Give it clear direction. Share context. Encourage it to ask questions. We find that being great at prompting AI has more to do with being a great communicator, or a great manager, than a great programmer.' The study came about after Shapiro started testing social psychology principles in his conversations with ChatGPT. He joined Generative AI Labs, run by Wharton professor Ethan Mollick and Lilach Mollick, and they recruited Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, and Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, for the study. Shapiro, a longtime Seattle entrepreneur, said he used various AI tools to help design the trial experiments and to build the software used to run them. 'AI is giving us all incredible capabilities. It can help us do work, research, hobbies, fix things around the house, and more,' Shapiro said. 'But unlike software of the past, this isn't the exclusive domain of coders and engineers. Literally anyone can work with AI, and the best way to do it is by interacting with it in the most familiar way possible — as a human, because it's parahuman.'
News.com.au
23-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Expert reveals the number one sign your marriage will last
After studying love for over 20 years, a Harvard professor has uncovered the secret to a lasting relationship – and it has nothing to do with romance or passion. Arthur Brooks, an expert in social science, featured on The Drive podcast with Peter Attia MD, where the pair discussed the signs that indicate a relationship will stand the test of time. Apparently, the main sign that your marriage will last is that it's built on friendship. 'The goal of your marriage is not passion, it's friendship,' Prof Brooks revealed. 'This is the goal, you must be close friends, ideally best friends, with your spouse.' 'One of the most important things for a happy life is a partnership with somebody who will be the last person you set eyes on as you take your last dying breath …' he continued. 'I'm going to be with my wife Ester until death do us part, that has to be the juice of the relationship where the love actually makes happiness, and love is truly the great secret to happiness.' During the course of the conversation, the professor also shared some major signs that your marriage might be headed for divorce. 'One of the greatest predictors of divorce is partners who are lonely while living together, and this means that the only thing you have in common is your kids,' he explained. He used the example of 'empty nest syndrome', which refers to the feelings parents have when their children leave home, leaving them sad and sometimes even distressed. '(When) that one point of commonality disappears and you're sitting across the table blinking at each other during dinner and not talking because you literally have nothing to talk about,' he said. '(Couples) should develop philosophical interests in common; they're talking about deep things. There's got to be something bigger than 'Did you change his diaper?' because that's not going to be in common forever, and you're going to be lonely in your relationship.' In addition to finding commonalities with your partner, it's also important to have strong friendships outside of your marriage – especially for men who are less inclined to keep up with their pals. 'You've got to work on these things for sure, for a lot of reasons besides the fact that it's just healthy and good. You might, at some point, be left alone if you're widowed. You don't want to be alone under those circumstances,' he said. 'That is one of the reasons why men do so poorly when they lose their wives, because a lot of them don't have real friendships.' Another interesting titbit was that Prof Brooks urged people not to fret if the passion isn't the same as when you first started your relationship, and it's even 'advisable'. He described having low intimacy levels as 'healthy, normal, and actually advisable, as it's more sustainable in the long run'.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
This is the No. 1 thing every marriage must have for it to last, expert reveals
A Harvard professor revealed the No. 1 thing every marriage should have for it to last a lifetime. Since superficial things like looks, money and chemistry can fade over time — the one thing that a long-lasting marriage should be built on is friendship, according to Arthur Brooks, a social science expert and professor who devoted his career to studying love, originally reported on by the Daily Mail. 'The goal of your marriage is not passion, it's friendship. This is the goal, you must be close friends, ideally best friends, with your spouse,' Brooks said during his appearance on The Drive podcast. 'One of the most important things for a happy life is a partnership with somebody who will be the last person who you set eyes on as you take your last dying breath…' During the conversation, Brooks also rattled off some tell-tale signs that indicated a marriage is headed for divorce — and loneliness is one of them. 'One of the greatest predictors of divorce is partners who are lonely while living together and this [means] that the only thing you have in common is your kids,' he explained. Oftentimes, couples spend much of their marriage focusing only on their kids, and when they grow into adults who eventually flee the coop — they're left feeling empty and lost, unsure what their marriage consists of outside of raising their children. '[When] that one point of commonality disappears and you're sitting across the table blinking at each other during dinner and not talking because you literally have nothing to talk about,' the expert pointed out. 'They [couples] should develop philosophical interests in common, they're talking about deep things. There's got to be something bigger than 'Did you change his diaper?' because that's not going to be in common forever and you're going to be lonely in your relationship.' In addition to having things in common with your spouse that don't revolve around your kids — having strong relationships outside of your marriage is also key. 'You've got to work on these things for sure for a lot of reasons besides the fact that it's just healthy and good. You might, at some point, be left alone if you're widowed. You don't want to be alone under those circumstances,' he explained. These aren't the only things to maintain a healthy marriage — separate bathrooms, or at least more space in one, could also do the trick. Sharing a bathroom with her husband was causing turmoil in Debbie Wiener's marriage, so she decided to have a 'bathroom divorce.' 'As you get older, your gastrointestinal needs change,' Wiener told The Post. 'My husband's habits didn't age well. One toilet was not cutting it.' This frustrated wife resolved her bathroom sharing woes by creating a bathroom suite, with two of everything. 'All my neighbors lined up to see my bathroom. Every time I tell a woman about my bathroom, she is, like, 'OMG I want that.' This is the next step after a sleep divorce. You can share a vanity without sharing cooties. You can share a wet room but not a toilet,' she said.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Junk Science Week — Terence Corcoran: When science turns political, trust declines
For many years now, popular trust in science has been in decline. That conclusion may not pass a rigid science review since most of the evidence comes from polling, which — according to Google's AI review — lacks scientific rigidity. When asked whether polling is a science, Google AI responded with what looks like a consensus view: 'It is both a science and an art.' The science involves using 'statistical methods, sampling techniques and social science principles to design and conduct polls that accurately reflect public opinion.' Then comes a big cloud of doubt: 'However, the interpretation and application of polling data, as well as the specific strategies used by pollsters, can involve a degree of artistry and political judgment.' Some say polling is 'more an art than a science.' The following is not intended as a put-down of polling, which has its valid processes and uses. The summary definition of polling, however, does somewhat correspond to FP Comment's standard definition of junk science. Junk science occurs when scientific facts are distorted, risk is exaggerated (or underplayed) and 'the science' adapted and warped by politics and ideology to serve another agenda. That definition encompasses a wide range of activities among scientists, NGOs, politicians, journalists, media outlets, cranks and quacks who manipulate science for political, environmental, economic and social purposes. We can now add Artificial Intelligence to the list. The large proportion of science that flows through to the populations of Canada and all countries can, unfortunately, fall into our definition. The array of ideological forces using science to generate public support for social and political causes — or to defeat the same causes — is sowing increasing confusion and distrust. In recent years, poll after poll after poll has produced evidence that public confidence in science has been declining. Back in 2020, University of Alberta professor Tim Caulfield noted that fomenting distrust 'has become the go-to strategy for selling health products, generating clicks and getting elected.' The doubts grew as the COVID-19 pandemic raged and as Donald Trump and others on both sides of the political fence engaged in pitched battles over vaccines. The pandemic is said to be a major factor behind the decline of trust in science, especially in the United States where vaccine polarization accelerated with Trump's appointment of Robert Kennedy Jr. as America's Secretary of Health, which fuelled more doubt (or so the polls showed), especially on the religious right. Opinions may be shifting, however. Kennedy's 'Make America Healthy Again' report released last month has been roundly trashed across the political spectrum for its lack of science and false scientific statements. The Genetic Literacy Project called the report a 'full-scale assault on science.' In a new paper — The Strange New Politics of Science — two researchers at the American Enterprise Institute argue that while 76 per cent of Americans still trust science, the number is 11 points below pre-pandemic levels. The authors rightly argue that 'the stark polarization of American politics around trust in science not only threatens the legitimacy of particular expert institutions, but also has potentially destabilizing consequences for society as a whole.' A 2024 University of Waterloo survey report, Trust in Canada, suggested Canadians still hold science in high regard. Despite the pandemic episodes, 'scientists (along with doctors and researchers) remain one of the most trusted groups in Canada.' In one pre-pandemic poll, 90 per cent of respondents said they 'trusted' and 'trusted very much' science-related sources. They were followed by science-based personalities (76 per cent), journalists (56 per cent), government (46 per cent), comedians (31 per cent), religious leaders (25 per cent), bloggers and influencers (19 per cent), and celebrities (10 per cent). At least journalists ranked higher than comedians. A 2023 Confidence in Leaders survey from Environics found that even during the pandemic, 75 per cent of surveyed citizens still had 'a lot or some confidence' in science, far behind NGOs (52), journalists (50), business leaders (42) and politicians (33). Such polling results highlight the indisputable fact that trust in science may have weakened to some degree in recent years, but the cause may be more a function of other messengers and institutions rather than scientists. Which takes us to the heart of junk science. The junk is not necessarily in the science, but in the various ideological streams through which the science flows. Make no mistake, scientists can have political and ideological agendas, but in open debate the junk can be filtered out. Through this week's 27th annual Junk Science Week, various science issues are explored, beginning with Peter Shawn Taylor's exploration of the questionable science behind the annual bee apocalypse. While a Google AI search question (Are bee populations declining?) will produce various versions of yes, the actual answer is no. Which is not surprising. A recent headline on a science blog said: 'Flood of 'junk': How AI is changing scientific publishing.' Another claimed that 'AI-fabricated 'junk science' floods Google scholar.' And then there is this story from Nature magazine that merged AI with the artful science of polling: 'Is it OK for AI to write science papers? Nature survey shows researchers are split. The poll of 5,000 researchers finds contrasting views on when it's acceptable to involve AI and what needs to be disclosed.' Terence Corcoran: A 'guide' to the Trump-Canada steel tariff war Terence Corcoran: Trump bites U.S. economy to get at Apple Contrasting views in science! Situation normal. • Email: tcorcoran@
Zawya
03-06-2025
- General
- Zawya
Eritrea: Training on Social Science for Students in the Central Region
The National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students provided training on social science to over 3,836 junior and high school students, including 60% female students. The concluding event of the training was conducted on 32 May at Cinema Roma in Asmara. The training covered topics such as nation and nationalism, youth and national service, the pillars of the National Charter, information technology, the meaning of ideology, political concepts and religious philosophy, and the history of the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students. Mr. Samson Kifle, head of the Union branch, said that the branch is working in collaboration with partners to enhance youth awareness and strengthen their organizational capacity. Mr. Saleh Ahmedin, Chairman of the Union, urged the trainees to transfer the knowledge they gained to their peers and noted that similar training programs will be organized. At the event, awards were presented to outstanding students and exemplary teachers. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
