Understanding and Supporting Online Discussion with Opinionated Chatbots

2026-06-10

AI Summary

This study investigates how stance-expressive chatbots influence users’ attitudes and communication behaviors in subsequent online discussions. In a controlled experiment, participants interacted with conversational agents that adopted opposing, reinforcing, or balanced stances on a given topic. Employing a mixed-methods approach combining surveys and discourse analysis, the research assessed changes in users’ cognitive flexibility and communicative style. Findings indicate that opposing-stance bots significantly promoted attitude change, whereas reinforcing-stance bots enhanced affiliative communication. Moreover, different stance strategies exerted distinct effects on user trust and perception. The results demonstrate the dual impact of conversational agent stance design on both cognitive and behavioral dimensions, offering empirical support for AI interaction designs that balance openness to diverse viewpoints with positive user experience.

Abstract

Opinionated chatbots are increasingly present on online platforms and have the potential to shape public discourse by influencing individuals' viewpoints before they engage in discussions. Despite their growing presence, the impact of interacting with opinionated chatbots on subsequent online interactions remains largely unexplored. This study investigated how exposure to different types of opinionated chatbots, specifically those expressing opposing, reinforcing, or balanced viewpoints, affected participants' subsequent online discussions. In a controlled experiment with 83 participants, we found that interacting with an opinionated chatbot that consistently opposed participants' arguments led to greater shifts in opinion, indicating enhanced openness to revising one's initial stance. Conversely, participants who interacted with a chatbot that consistently reinforced their views were more likely to adopt more agreeable communication styles in subsequent conversations with others. Furthermore, interactions with different types of opinionated chatbots resulted in varying levels of trust, as well as different perceptions of chatbots and human interlocutors. Our findings indicate that opinionated chatbots can influence both individuals' opinions on social topics and their communication behaviors in online environments. This presents a trade-off for future designers seeking to facilitate cognitive flexibility in changing opinions while maintaining positive user experiences and trust in the chatbots during public discourse. We discuss the implications for designing opinionated chatbots to promote more constructive and less polarized online

Problem

• opinionated chatbots
• online discussion
• opinion change
• communication behavior
• trust

Innovation

• opinionated chatbots
• online discussion
• cognitive flexibility
• communication behavior
• attitude change