Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
As large language models seep into everyday life, some worry the technology could trigger a mass political realignment.
But Dartmouth College political scientist Brendan Nyhan cautions against assuming such a future is inevitable. LLMs may be powerful, he says, but that doesn’t mean they’ll influence people in the ways we expect, or even in the ways their creators intend.
While chatbots can sound persuasive, and in some cases have encouraged disturbing behavior, there’s little evidence that they are fundamentally reshaping most users’ core beliefs.
As large language models seep into everyday life, some worry the technology could trigger a mass political realignment.
But Dartmouth College political scientist Brendan Nyhan cautions against assuming such a future is inevitable. LLMs may be powerful, he says, but that doesn’t mean they’ll influence people in the ways we expect, or even in the ways their creators intend.
While chatbots can sound persuasive, and in some cases have encouraged disturbing behavior, there’s little evidence that they are fundamentally reshaping most users’ core beliefs.
