Can a Chatbot Convince Conspiracy Theorists of the Truth?

May 21, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

Gordon Pennycook explores whether an AI chatbot can change the minds of conspiracy theorists based on his research findings.

If you're new to our show and liked this episode, may we suggest a couple of our other recent stories you might enjoy? Check out "I Was 11 When Instagram Took Over My Life",   "The Talented Ms. Goldiee" and " Why Did ICE Lock Up This Pro-Trump Reporter?" Like millions of others, Gordon Pennycook’s older brother has leapt down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, and Gordon says he’s tried to change his brother’s mind, without success. Which tracks, if you’ve ever debated a conspiracy theorist — it can feel impossible to pull them back to reality.  If anyone was qualified to convince his brother, though, it’s Gordon, who’s a psychology professor at Cornell University where he studies why people believe things that aren’t true. So Gordon wanted to put this question to the test: Is it actually the case that conspiracy theorists rarely change their minds? He and a team of researchers ran an experiment using an AI chatbot to rebut people’s theories. And the results were very surprising. In fact, they ended up changing Gordon’s mind about conspiracy theories, and the people who believe them.  Sign up for our…

People in this episode

Host: Brian Reed

Guest: Gordon Pennycook

Topics covered

conspiracy theories
psychology
AI chatbot
belief change
research study

Keywords

conspiracy theories
AI chatbot
psychology
belief change
research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cornell University, KCRW, Placement Theory

Products: ZBiotics probiotics, Quince