AI bots on social media have significant importance for social platforms. On the one hand, they add value in areas such as marketing automation and improving customer service. However, this is not necessarily associated with only positive outcomes. AI bots can also negatively affect social media by flooding posts with bot-generated comments, which, in turn, distort the information dissemination process and artificially inflate the popularity of posts that may not be as widely popular or accurate.
How do AI Bots Change the Operational Principles of Social Platforms?
AI bots are automated programs used in social media. They typically operate as fully automated systems that mimic user behaviour. A common feature of their activity is not necessarily communication through language, but actions like pressing the follow or like buttons, which promote specific content.
One of the areas where they can be employed is in weather forecasting or sports results. They can be useful in personalizing and providing recommendations for specific users, for example, offering personalized ads or enabling tools that quickly provide answers. However, there are numerous instances where people cannot identify that certain accounts are not real people but merely bots. This is often done with less than noble intentions.
An interesting case of AI bots on social media usage is on the SocialAI platform, where you write and post content, but it is other users — who are not real people but rather codes (bots) — that react to your posts and write comments. Users can even select the types of bots that will interact with them. The platform’s goal is for every user to feel noticed, and for their thoughts to receive attention, unlike traditional social media, where not every opinion gets attention, and some may be suppressed due to potential negative comments.
The Negative Side of AI Bots
As mentioned, AI bots on social media can be used not just for improving processes but also to manipulate public opinion by spreading misinformation or inciting hatred on issues of public concern.
Some areas where AI bots are used for malicious purposes include:
- Artificially promoting an individual or organization. For example, increasing follower counts through bots creates a more trustworthy image.
- Manipulating the financial market by spreading false reports.
- Enabling fraud. Bots can create convincing content, tricking people into believing a certain entity is trustworthy when it is part of a scam.
- Spreading spam. Bots distribute false advertising messages and accompanying links.
Efforts are being made to combat such malicious bot activities by establishing rules for their use and implementing technical mechanisms to enforce bot policies. To ensure these processes are followed, a study was conducted in which a test bot was launched to assess and verify whether various social media platforms adhere to their bot policies. It was observed that platforms like X and TikTok still offer significant opportunities to bypass stated policies, whereas doing so is somewhat more difficult with Meta products.
These results indicate that there remains a large and easily accessible space for launching AI bots on social media designed to stir up negative opinions and public outrage, with corresponding platforms failing to implement protective measures to prevent such activities.
It is acknowledged that effectively combating the harmful effects of bots requires multifaceted solutions. These range from proper public education and the ability to distinguish bots from human accounts to specific legal regulations that mandate the monitoring and blocking of harmful activities.
Final Word
AI bots on social media are transforming how these platforms are used and significantly reshaping the user experience. While they inevitably bring positive opportunities and process automation, they also introduce risks of negative speculation that can impact users. To ensure that the digital environment remains undistorted by bot influence, technical solutions and stricter control measures will be necessary to ensure that bots perform their intended functions effectively.
If you are interested in this topic, we suggest you check our articles:
- AI and Misinformation: Navigating the New Reality of Fake News Threat
- Customer Service in the Age of AI
Sources: Cloudflare, TechCrunch, Tech Xplore
