# Digital Dr. Karl: Battling Climate Change Misinformation

Few in the world of science communication have achieved the renown and influence of Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki. At 77, with a career that spans over four decades, he continues to inspire and educate. But the very ubiquity of climate change misinformation, particularly in the age of social media, demands an approach that can match its pace and scale. Enter the Digital Dr. Karl, an AI-powered chatbot designed to address climate change skepticism with evidence-based responses.

## The Vision: Combating Misinformation with AI

“The only way I can do it is develop this digital AI,” says Dr. Karl, acknowledging his inability to personally address the hundreds of messages he receives daily about climate questions. The urgency and scale of these issues have driven him to explore innovative solutions that extend beyond traditional science communication.

Each day, platforms like X (formerly Twitter) are inundated with claims that the climate crisis is neither real nor pressing. For decades, voices denying the climate emergency have been amplified by major media outlets, undermining efforts to instill public understanding and action. Dr. Karl and technology journalist Leigh Stark have taken a bold step to challenge this, developing an AI that can engage skeptics by mirroring the thoughtfulness and rigor of Kruszelnicki’s responses.

## Building the Digital Dr. Karl

The AI initiative utilizes a large language model (LLM) from the French company Mistral, designed to replicate Kruszelnicki’s voice and mannerisms. It’s trained on a wealth of resources, including “academic papers, consensus statements, and original articles,” collected over Dr. Karl’s extensive career. “This is an AI that’s been trained on the 40,000 PDFs I’ve gathered over the last 40 years,” he elaborates. The initiative aims to not only provide answers but change minds.

However, challenges remain. The LLM still encounters typical issues such as “hallucinations” or inaccuracies in its responses, and concerns over the ethical use and environmental impact of AI persist. Yet, Dr. Karl believes that “with climate change, we are at a stage where the perfect is the enemy of the good.”

## Testing and Improving the AI

In a demonstration to journalists, Stark presented the chatbot’s capabilities by engaging it with a prompt like “climate change is a hoax.” The AI swiftly referenced authoritative sources and leadership quotes, aiming to guide users toward evidence-backed recognition of climate realities. Despite early-stage hitches in tone and content accuracy, the project promises refinement and adaptability through continuous improvement and user feedback.

To counter environmental impacts, Dr. Karl proposes eco-friendly operations: “We’ll run the website entirely off solar panels,” he mentions, aligning the project with sustainable practices. Stark notes the challenges of scaling, especially if up to 2,500 users access the AI simultaneously, but suggests the potential for renewable-powered systems.

## Learning from AI’s Persuasive Capabilities

What makes Digital Dr. Karl potentially transformative is its interactivity. A study published in *Science* highlights how dialogues with AI chatbots can significantly influence user beliefs, including those about conspiracy theories. The key lies in the AI’s ability to “rapidly access and strategically deploy information,” fostering productive dialogue over mere confrontation.

This model is not without precedent. Conversations with tailored AI agents addressing specific concerns have shown to reduce climate skepticism. For Digital Dr. Karl, the mission is not just convincing skeptics but fostering an open-minded and engaged public ready to tackle the climate crisis.

## The Emotional Appeal: Can AI Inspire Change?

Ultimately, the success of Digital Dr. Karl hinges on engagement. After a planned 100-day run complemented by daily TikTok content, Dr. Karl and Stark intend to measure the project’s impact through surveys. Their aspiration? To see a “more open-minded” public that believes in and acts according to climate science.

However, achieving this requires more than technical prowess. It asks whether users are ready to engage sincerely with artificial intelligence. Can a digital entity, armed with the depth of Dr. Karl’s knowledge, inspire belief and action where human efforts often falter?

As we contemplate the role of AI in shaping perceptions and driving change, it poses a critical question: When an AI speaks with the voice of a trusted expert, are we more likely to hear—and act on—the truth of our times?