When AI Changes Your Mind
May 2nd, 2025
Happy Friday! The sun is finally starting to (sporadically) come out in my neck of the woods—though I long for properly sunny days.
📰 AI IN THE NEWS
How persuasive are LLMs? I review an unethical study that used LLMs on Reddit users.
🖊 ON MY WRITING DESK
This week I discuss the process of drafting a forthcoming report from the USC Center for Generative AI and Society.
📖 AI SCHOLARSHIP
What is "visual learning analytics," and how might AI help? I explore recent work focused on this question.
🎨 ON MY PAINT DESK
I push "Red" forward and start thinking though new projects.
Until next week!
Stephen J. Aguilar
When AI Changes Your Mind
What does it take to change your mind? We all have core beliefs that are difficult to shift, but we also have beliefs that are less stable. For example, I don't like pickles. They're simply cucumbers waterboarded with vinegar, so they're practically war crimes. You can't convince me otherwise.
Fish eggs, however? Sure, I'll try those.
Studying the act of persuasion is an interesting field in psychology that focuses on the mechanisms required to shift positions. Before generative AI, we assumed that humans were doing the persuading. Post-AI, however, it's very possible that LLMs can be used to launch campaigns of persuasion. It's fascinating, and a little scary.
Enter: unethical researchers who chose to run an experiment on the Reddit community, r/change my view.
I cannot emphasize enough that the team who ran this study acted unethically. They did not obtain consent from their participants, despite using a prompt that presumed consent! Was AI more persuasive than humans? Short answer is yes, but the original white paper was removed, so I can't dig into the details. In fact, the above screenshot that I happened to take for this newsletter is the most I was able to scrounge up.
An emerging challenge for all of us will be whether or not we can trust that we're actually communicating with humans versus sophisticated AI personas. Those who are responsible for creating new AI-powered technologies will also need to learn to act ethically as they test the capabilities of their new technologies. I won't hold my breath for the latter, so will instead aim to give folks the tools they need to do the former.
One thing is certain: If my own wife can't get my to like pickles, I don't think an AI will fare any better.
🖊 ON MY WRITING DESK
World Response to AI
How have educators from around the world responded to AI? How do undergraduates in the United States use AI? In my role as the Associate Director for the USC Center for Generative AI and Society, I have been working with my PhD students and colleagues from around the world to answer those questions. This month I am wrapping up a report summarizing our preliminary findings.
I usually contract out the design work for reports like this, but this time I wanted to take more of an active role, so I dusted off my design hat and went to work. To start, I used ChatGPT to generate a version of the background image. Unfortunately, every image it generated gave the young lady an extra pinky. I don't mind extra pinkies, but for a public-facing report I figured it would be best to stick to the standard five digit hands that most of us are familiar with.
I tried revising my prompt to fix the issue, but after revision #5 led to even weirder hands, I chose to cut out the AI-middle man and import the image into Photoshop. Once there it was easy enough to give her the proper number of fingers. The rest of the text on this cover was added within Adobe InDesign.
Over the next couple of weeks I'll feature some of the work we've accomplished through the center in this newsletter. We investigated AI in five countries (Qatar, India, the United States, Colombia, and the Philippines). We also surveyed over one-thousand undergraduates from across the United States. It's a great cross-section—I can't wait to share what we've found!
📖 AI SCHOLARSHIP
Data Storytelling
This was a fun study, as it harkened back to one of my original areas of expertise: Learning Analytics applications. One of the most promising areas of study over the last 10 years has been being able to use student interaction data with digital systems to predict their struggles, future successes, and study habits. My own work examined how feedback mechanisms influenced students' motivation to learn and persist. Yet, one nagging challenge has always been communicating insights to students in ways that are accessible.
With the nearing ubiquity of LLMs, it makes sense that folks are using GenAI agents to help students understand complex visual feedback systems. The results of Yan et al. are promising; GenAI agents (both passive and active versions) "significantly improved both the effectiveness (measured by correct scores) and efficiency (measured by average success time) of extracting insights from [visual learning analytics]."
This is one application of GenAI I hadn't considered, i.e., using artificial intelligence to help break down complex information for students that they might otherwise ignore. I hope this area of scholarship continues to grow.
🎨 ON MY PAINT DESK
Back to "Red" + Two Mini Busts
I'm determined to finally finish "Red" (left). I've started working on his black/blue armor, and have also blocked in his hair and leather strap! As a palate cleanser, I've also primed two mini busts. One of an Orc (right), and another of an older woman (middle). Both present interesting challenges, but aren't meant to take too much time.
