LLM Dialogues Reduce Belief in Unfolding Conspiracy Theories

A recent study published on arXiv (ID 2608.06151) investigates the potential of engaging in dialogues with a large language model (LLM) to diminish belief in conspiracy theories as they arise. The research was carried out shortly after two significant incidents: the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in July 2024 and the assassination of Charlie Kirk in September 2025. U.S. adults with conspiratorial beliefs regarding these events engaged in multi-turn conversations with an LLM designed to challenge their views. In Experiment 1 (N = 472) and Experiment 2 (N = 1035), those interacting with the LLM exhibited a notable decrease in conspiracy beliefs compared to control groups, who either discussed unrelated topics or viewed a static fact sheet. Additionally, participants in the LLM group maintained reduced belief in various conspiracies one to two months later. This research highlights the societal issue of conspiracy theories surfacing after significant events and suggests that LLM interventions may be beneficial in real-time. The authors, whose names are not mentioned in the abstract, have made the paper available on arXiv, with implications for digital media, psychology, and AI in addressing misinformation.