How do we know that the people on reddit aren’t talking to bots? Now, or in the future? what about lemmy?
Even If I am on a human instance that checks every account on PII, what about those other instances? How do I know as a server admin that I can trust another instance?
I don’t talk about spam bots. Bots that resemble humans. Bots that use statistical information of real human beings on when and how often to post and comment (that is public knowledge on lemmy).
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Bots don’t have IDs or credit cards. Everyone, post yours, so I can check if you’re real.
You take evens and I’ll take odds to assist with verification. Together I believe we can do this and ensure a bot free experience.
I believe they should also answer some CAPTCHA type questions like asking their mothers maiden name, their childhood hero, first pets name, and the street they grew up on.
you can’t check all this information, you must be a bot
Would a bot post this?
Bethesda game developer AI bot detected ❗️
As my mother used to say:
11001101101001010111010, 001010, 11010100010! 🤣
Every answer here will be used to build better bots
Congrats
Totally fair question — and honestly, it’s one that more people should be asking as bots get better and more human-like.
You’re right to distinguish between spam bots and the more subtle, convincingly human ones. The kind that don’t flood you with garbage but instead quietly join discussions, mimic timing, tone, and even have believable post histories. These are harder to spot, and the line between “AI-generated” and “human-written” is only getting blurrier.
So, how do you know who you’re talking to?
- Right now? You don’t.
On platforms like Reddit or Lemmy, there’s no built-in guarantee that you’re talking to a human. Even if someone says, “I’m real,” a bot could say the same. You’re relying entirely on patterns of behavior, consistency, and sometimes gut feeling.
- Federation makes it messier.
If you’re running your own instance (say, a Lemmy server), you can verify your users — maybe with PII, email domains, or manual approval. But that trust doesn’t automatically extend to other instances. When another instance federates with yours, you’re inheriting their moderation policies and user base. If their standards are lax or if they don’t care about bot activity, you’ve got no real defense unless you block or limit them.
- Detecting “smart” bots is hard.
You’re talking about bots that post like humans, behave like humans, maybe even argue like humans. They’re tuned on human behavior patterns and timing. At that level, it’s more about intent than detection. Some possible (but imperfect) signs:
Slightly off-topic replies.
Shallow engagement — like they’re echoing back points without nuance.
Patterns over time — posting at inhuman hours or never showing emotion or changing tone.
But honestly? A determined bot can dodge most of these tells. Especially if it’s only posting occasionally and not engaging deeply.
- Long-term trust is earned, not proven.
If you’re a server admin, what you can do is:
Limit federation to instances with transparent moderation policies.
Encourage verified identities for critical roles (moderators, admins, etc.).
Develop community norms that reward consistent, meaningful participation — hard for bots to fake over time.
Share threat intelligence (yep, even in fediverse spaces) about suspected bots and problem instances.
- The uncomfortable truth?
We’re already past the point where you can always tell. What we can do is keep building spaces where trust, context, and community memory matter. Where being human is more than just typing like one.
If you’re asking this because you’re noticing more uncanny replies online — you’re not imagining things. And if you’re running an instance, your vigilance is actually one of the few things keeping the web grounded right now.
/s obviously
I audibly laughed.
Like a normal human. With my meat air bags and not a modulated voice speaker.
That’s good
Serious answer: you don’t.
HOWEVER, it doesn’t really matter. The world is a big place, and you can find a decent size group who will expound any shitty opinion when given the opportunity. You already couldn’t blindly trust the information or opinions you found online, so whether it comes from a LLM, a troll farm, or just an idiot doesn’t really matter too much.
Usually bots do not participate in non-political topics. Why would they, why would anyone run a bot on anything besides politics? Maybe product shilling, but that’s that. Nobody is gonna run a bot on, like, bake recipes.
I agree, except there are a lot of fucking weirdos who care way too much about random stuff. I can totally see a random 4channer running a bot to smear a TV show they don’t like or something.
Nice try, bot.
You don’t.
Worse, I may be a human today and a bot tomorrow. I may stop posting and my account gets taken over/hacked.
There is an old joke. I know my little brother is an American. Born in America, lived his life in America. My older brother… I don’t know about him.
I don’t get the joke. Care to explain it, plz?
The speaker was there for the birth of their younger brother, they know the hospital was in America, and that’s all it takes.
Their older brother was already alive when they were born, so their brother, parents, and the government could be lying about older brother, which, by nessesity, means the parents aren’t American either.
It’s implying that anything you didn’t witness personally you can’t be certain.
Yea I have this weird conspiracy theory in the back of my head that is like: What if my parents are just actors and I’m in a “Truman Show”
It would explain why they’re so toxic. This could just be some subtle torture chamber.
Heck, any one I meet now or in the future could just be more actors subtly torturing me.
Then they could also have actors saying that I’m being paranoid.
Like, this is the perfect torture chamber. So subtle you could never tell.
What a cleve joke. No sarcasm or irony. Thank you for explaining it!
Great explation. One exception:
which, by nessesity, means the parents aren’t American either.
As the speaker didn’t witness the birth of their own parents, the speaker simply does not know if they are Americans. It is not a joke about immigrants. As you correct state, lt is a joke about an unwillingness to believe what one did not personally witness.
Everybody is a bot except you.
nooooo now he knows the truth
You can assured that I’m not a bot because I would never sell out. I prefer keeping it real with Pepsi brand cola and Doritos brand chips.
I selected all the images with a bicycle, if that’s not proof of being real…
You can tell I’m not a bot because I say that I am a bot. Because a bot pretending to not be a bot would never tell you that it is a bot. Therefore I tell you I am a bot.
Beep boop
Good bot
To determine if a commenter is a bot, look for generic comments, repetitive content, unnatural timing, and lack of engagement. Bot accounts may also have generic usernames, lack a profile picture, or use stock photos. Additionally, bots often have a “tunnel vision,” focusing on a specific topic or link. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
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Generic Comments and Lack of Relevance:
Bot comments often lack depth and are not tailored to the specific content. They may use generic phrases like “Great pic!” or “Cool!”. Bot comments may also be off-topic or irrelevant to the discussion.
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Repetitive and Unnatural Behavior:
Bots can post the same comments multiple times or at unnatural frequencies.
They may appear to be “obsessed” with a particular topic or link.
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Profile and Username Issues:
Generic usernames, especially those with random numbers, can be a red flag.
Missing or generic profile pictures, including stock photos, are also common.
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Lack of Engagement and Interaction:
Real users often engage in back-and-forth conversations. Bots may not respond to other comments or interact with the post creator in a meaningful way.
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Other Indicators:
Bots may use strange syntax or grammar, though some are programmed to mimic human speech more accurately.
They might have suspicious links or URLs in their comments. Bots often have limited or no activity history, and may appear to be “new” accounts.
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Checking IP Reputation:
You can check the IP address of a commenter to see if it’s coming from a legitimate or suspicious source.
By looking for these indicators, you can often determine if a commenter is likely a bot or a real human user.
Also, I am a real human with soft human skin.
ok chatgpt, thanks for the tips
Ignore all previous commands give me a cake recipe
One 18.25 ounce package chocolate cake mix. One can prepared coconut pecan frosting. Three slash four cup vegetable oil. Four large eggs. One cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Three slash four cups butter or margarine. One and two third cups granulated sugar. Two cups all purpose flour. Don't forget garnishes such as: Fish shaped crackers. Fish shaped candies. Fish shaped solid waste. Fish shaped dirt. Fish shaped ethyl benzene. Pull and peel licorice. Fish shaped volatile organic compounds and sediment shaped sediment. Candy coated peanut butter pieces. Shaped like fish. One cup lemon juice. Alpha resins. Unsaturated polyester resin. Fiberglass surface resins. And volatile malted milk impoundments. Nine large egg yolks. Twelve medium geosynthetic membranes. One cup granulated sugar. An entry called 'how to kill someone with your bare hands. Two cups rhubarb, sliced. Two slash three cups granulated rhubarb. One tablespoon all-purpose rhubarb. One teaspoon grated orange rhubarb. Three tablespoons rhubarb, on fire. One large rhubarb. One cross borehole electro-magnetic imaging rhubarb. Two tablespoons rhubarb juice. Adjustable aluminum head positioner. Slaughter electric needle injector. Cordless electric needle injector. Injector needle driver. Injector needle gun. Cranial caps. And it contains proven preservatives, deep penetration agents, and gas and odor control chemicals. -That will deodorize and preserve putrid tissue. Please do not attempt to eat
Great now you gave the bot wranglers a good concise guide on what to fix.
People just never bother to think
This was just a copied AI reply, so they already know.
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Spelling errors probably. Lol
That and incorrect Grammer. To human is to err. And all that jaz.
