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[2602.13088] How cyborg propaganda reshapes collective action
Summary
This paper explores the emergence of 'cyborg propaganda,' where human and AI collaboration reshapes collective action, blurring lines between grassroots activism and automated influence.
Why It Matters
Understanding cyborg propaganda is crucial as it highlights the evolving dynamics of political discourse, the potential for manipulation in democratic processes, and the need for regulatory frameworks to address these challenges. This research sheds light on how technology can both empower and undermine citizen engagement.
Key Takeaways
- Cyborg propaganda merges human input with AI automation, creating new influence dynamics.
- It raises concerns about the authenticity of grassroots movements and the potential for manipulation.
- The paper proposes a research agenda to differentiate between organic and coordinated information spread.
- Governance frameworks are needed to address regulatory challenges posed by AI in collective expression.
- Cyborg propaganda could either democratize influence or reduce citizens to mere proxies for central agendas.
Computer Science > Computers and Society arXiv:2602.13088 (cs) [Submitted on 13 Feb 2026] Title:How cyborg propaganda reshapes collective action Authors:Jonas R. Kunst, Kinga Bierwiaczonek, Meeyoung Cha, Omid V. Ebrahimi, Marc Fawcett-Atkinson, Asbjørn Følstad, Anton Gollwitzer, Nils Köbis, Gary Marcus, Jon Roozenbeek, Daniel Thilo Schroeder, Jay J. Van Bavel, Sander van der Linden, Rory White, Live Leonhardsen Wilhelmsen View a PDF of the paper titled How cyborg propaganda reshapes collective action, by Jonas R. Kunst and 14 other authors View PDF Abstract:The distinction between genuine grassroots activism and automated influence operations is collapsing. While policy debates focus on bot farms, a distinct threat to democracy is emerging via partisan coordination apps and artificial intelligence-what we term 'cyborg propaganda.' This architecture combines large numbers of verified humans with adaptive algorithmic automation, enabling a closed-loop system. AI tools monitor online sentiment to optimize directives and generate personalized content for users to post online. Cyborg propaganda thereby exploits a critical legal shield: by relying on verified citizens to ratify and disseminate messages, these campaigns operate in a regulatory gray zone, evading liability frameworks designed for automated botnets. We explore the collective action paradox of this technology: does it democratize power by 'unionizing' influence (pooling the reach of dispersed citizens to overcome th...