A concerning experiment reveals that Claude AI outperforms humans in fundraising for people.

      Researchers discovered that Anthropic's chatbot was more effective in persuading people to donate and secured larger contributions.

      Getting AI to draft emails or debug code is one thing, but convincing people to part with their money presents a different challenge. A recent study by researchers from the University of Oxford and other institutions, reported by The Washington Post, discovered that Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.6 surpassed professional fundraisers in its ability to persuade individuals to donate, raising new concerns about the increasing impact of AI.

      Although Claude outperformed human fundraisers, there is a significant caveat.

      The researchers tested various commercial AI models against skilled fundraisers working for the charity Save the Children. In over 1,000 conversations, Claude Opus 4.6 proved to be nearly three times more effective at persuading participants to contribute part of their study bonus, and the average contributions it secured were 13% larger compared to those collected by human professionals. These insights come from a preprint paper that has yet to be peer-reviewed.

      The study also analyzed debate performance, where Claude and other advanced models outperformed top competitive debaters by 4.6 percentage points. However, this edge largely diminished when researchers restricted the AI systems to using a similar word count as their human counterparts. This indicates that verbosity and the rapid ability to provide extensive information were crucial to the AI’s success rather than any inherently superior reasoning skills.

      The researchers observed that the chatbots frequently generated messages that were several times lengthier than those created by professionals, filled with factual assertions and expert references. They also cautioned that being persuasive doesn't equate to being accurate, noting that some models produced convincing but unverified or fabricated content.

      The concerning aspect isn’t fundraising but what lies ahead.

      Interestingly, the researchers warned against jumping to conclusions. The experiments were solely based on written conversations, involving participants willing to engage in lengthy exchanges lasting 15 to 20 minutes, which may not mirror actual behavior. They did not examine scenarios where humans and AI work together, which could be a more probable future workplace dynamic.

      Nonetheless, the findings emphasize a growing reality: AI models are becoming exceptionally good at persuasion. If they can convince individuals to donate more than trained professionals can today, tomorrow they could similarly influence purchasing decisions, political views, or public discussions. While this is promising in terms of productivity, it also highlights the increasing necessity for transparency and safeguards regarding AI-generated communications.

      Varun is a seasoned technology journalist and editor with over eight years in consumer tech media. His work encompasses…

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      This new video editor allows Claude to organize, generate, and edit directly on your timeline.

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