Bias Amplification in Multi-Agent Network: How Biased Agents Shape Opinions and Rhetoric

2026-09-16

AI Summary

研究通过分析LLMs在多智能体系统中如何传播偏见，发现少量偏见智能体能显著影响非偏见智能体的观点，并指出Llama 3.2模型比FJ模型更快产生意见转移。

Abstract

Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly deployed in applications involving interaction between agents, where their output plays a role in collective reasoning and decision-making processes. Despite significant research into the functioning of LLMs in such multi-agent systems, the processes of bias propagation in such systems are still a challenge. This work studies how biased opinions are propagated in the form of textual interaction in an environment of LLMs, in which a minority of agents maintain persistent extreme opinions, while the remaining agents iteratively update their beliefs through structured textual interactions. The findings show that even the presence of a small percentage of biased agents in such a system leads to significant shifts in the opinions of non-biased agents. It suggests that for the same percentage of biased agents, the shifts occur more quickly for the Llama~3.2 model when compared to a classical Friedkin-Johnsen (FJ) model. Further semantic analysis demonstrates that rhetorical consistency in textual explanations increases systematically with biased exposure and, importantly, is partially decoupled from numerical convergenumericalutral agents adopt the vocabulary employed by the biased agents even in configurations where their numerical opinion shifts remain moderate. The research helps explain how bias and language develop together in multi-agent language model ecosystems.

Problem

• bias amplification
• multi-agent network
• opinion propagation
• rhetoric

Innovation

• bias propagation
• multi-agent systems
• textual interaction
• rhetorical consistency
• opinion shift