Ezequiel Lopez-Lopez
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eloplop.bsky.social
Ezequiel Lopez-Lopez
@eloplop.bsky.social
Pre-doctoral researcher @ Max Planck Institute for Human Development (Adaptive Rationality Center) — Berlin | knowledge representations, NLP, computational social sciences & policy
July 28, 2025 at 10:19 AM
As GenAI becomes part of daily life, its influence on behavior and decision-making, especially in health, is critical.
🧠 Combating confirmation bias in this space requires:
• Equipping users with critical AI literacy
• Establishing strong oversight, regulation, and auditing
July 28, 2025 at 10:15 AM
We also call for systemic solutions:
🔍 Public black-box testing
🧑‍⚕️ Reporting tools for physicians to flag GenAI-influenced patient behavior
📋 Regulatory oversight for general-purpose GenAI used in medical contexts
July 28, 2025 at 10:15 AM
So what can we do? We propose:
✅ Boosting digital/AI literacy
✅ Training people to test multiple query framings
✅ Promoting “consider-the-opposite” thinking
✅ Designing GenAI apps to flag evidence-based but disconfirming info
July 28, 2025 at 10:15 AM
🧠 GenAI doesn’t just answer; it engages in dialogue. This allows people to iteratively steer the conversation toward preferred narratives, reinforcing cognitive biases without necessarily realizing it
July 28, 2025 at 10:15 AM
we showcase how small changes in system configuration (like creating a more empathetic chatbot) made GenAI more likely to mirror user bias, endorsing pseudoscientific treatments and downplaying evidence-based medicine
July 28, 2025 at 10:15 AM
In traditional search (e.g., Google), these biases already existed. But GenAI takes it further through hypercustomization (journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...), adapting to your wording, preferences, even emotional tone. This can lead to tailored responses that validate your views, accurate or not
July 28, 2025 at 10:15 AM
We identify 3 key “pressure points” where GenAI can entangle with confirmation bias in health contexts:
1️⃣ How users phrase queries
2️⃣ Preference for belief-consistent answers
3️⃣ Resistance to belief-inconsistent info
July 28, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Millions are turning to AI tools for medical queries.
While GenAI offers easy access to personalized health information, that personalization can backfire, subtly reinforcing people’s pre-existing beliefs, even when they’re false or harmful
July 28, 2025 at 10:15 AM