The Effects of an AI Participant on Online Group Deliberation: Evidence from a Controlled Study with Afghan Youth

This study investigates the effects of introducing a large language model (LLM)-based AI participant into online group discussions among Afghan youth. Through a controlled experiment, we compare groups with and without an AI interlocutor on multiple dimensions, including engagement, perceived usefulness, group dynamics, opinion change, and thematic discourse shifts. Results indicate that the AI participant significantly enhances perceived team fluidity and fosters more optimistic, technology-oriented dialogue, without diminishing human engagement or agency. These findings have implications for digital civic engagement, participatory policy design, and peacebuilding in fragile sociopolitical contexts.