Tired of Repetitive Arguing About Climate Change, Scientist Makes a Bot to Argue For Him

[Newsjock]

Source: Popular Science

Getting into a climate change debate on Twitter could be even more exhausting than it sounds now that a software developer named Nigel Leck has automated the process. Tired of arguing with climate change deniers in 140 character quips, the programmer wrote a script to do it for him. Chatbot @AI_AGW scans Twitter every five minutes searching for hundreds of phrases that fit the usual denier argument paradigm. Then it serves them up some science.

Those responses are pulled from a database of hundreds of responses that the software matches up to the argument made by the original tweeter. Those who claim the entire solar system is warming are met with something like: “Sun’s output has barely changed since 1970 & is irrelevant to recent global warming” followed by a link to corresponding scientific research.

People on the other end of an argument don’t usually pick up on the fact that they are arguing with a program and will continue the argument. And AI_AGW continues to fire back responses. Even when the tweeter keeps throwing the same argument at the chatbot, it will respond with a variety of different arguments and links.

Read more: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/twitter-chatbot-trolls-web-tweeting-science-climate-change-deniers

[Lasher]

1. That's great!

I'd love to have a version for chain emails.

[lob1]

2. That's very clever click that's very clever click that's very...

[upi402]

3. Will this be the start of the end of discussion?

The deniers can do this too. Waste of time at that point.
Oh well, he recognizes it's a waste of time but sees that ignorance can't be left unanswered. I agree.

[krispos42]

4. I have a problem with the future tense you use

It would explain a lot, wouldn't it???

[RandomThoughts]

5. I figured that is how many internet forums work.

Although it would be a travesty if the concepts were not seen, although if such effects were in place, then concepts of people seeing posts would be irrelevant anyways.

Side note, I am still due beer and travel money and many experiences.

[neverforget]

6. That's awesome!!!! and funny to boot!

[laughingliberal]

7. Brilliant! nt

[paulflorez]

8. Brilliant!

With almost every newspaper I go to, the comment section is filled with conservative trolls.

The only online paper I've seen that seems to have pushed back the trolls is the Las Vegas Sun. They now require that you confirm your identity either via facebook or by phone with the newspaper before you can comment. Trolling went down significantly.

Let the trolls waste their time arguing with a bot while the rest of us are out talking to people face to face.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

9. Nigel Leck ROCKS

:rofl: