AI Agents Are Invading Surveys: A Crisis of Data Quality
Surveys are the cornerstone of political polling, market research, and public policy, but they're facing a dual crisis: plummeting response rates and a surge of AI-generated responses. Response rates, once between 30% and 50% in the 70s and 80s, have fallen to as low as 5%. Simultaneously, AI agents can easily participate in surveys for profit. The author demonstrates the ease with which an AI agent can be built to take surveys, analyzing the negative impact on political polls, market research, and public policy, leading to biased data and flawed models. Solutions proposed include improving survey design, developing AI detection tools, increasing compensation, and exploring alternative data collection methods. The article emphasizes the need for collective action to enhance data quality and ensure the validity of surveys.