Latest / The Strategic Linguist Podcast
When Algorithms Gaslight: How AI Systems Reproduce Reality-Distorting Discourse Without Intent
In the previous piece in this series, I examined how gaslighting operates through specific discourse structures: three types of assertives (explicit, covert, inclusive), the double direction of fit, face-threatening acts disguised as concern, and anti-performatives. These patterns exploit the cooperative principle - our assumption that people communicate truthfully - to destabilise someone’s grip on reality.AI systems reproduce these patterns without intention, awareness or malice. The result is the same: users learn to doubt their own knowledge in favour of confidently delivered…
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