28 April: “How Government Control of Media Influences Large Language Models” by Prof. Margaret E. Roberts

“How Government Control of Media Influences Large Language Models” by Prof. Margaret E. Roberts (Department of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego) 

Date and time: 28 April 2026, Tuesday 15:00-16:30 CET (14:00-15:30 UK Time)

Moderator: Dr. Ülker Sözen (University of Passau & Leipzig University)

Link: https://ecpr-eu.zoom.us/j/89736484060?pwd=4JKHNXkAtD0r5elS9bVgb8E0hxkVzx.1

Meeting ID: 897 3648 4060

Passcode: 713265

This lecture draws on the research produced by Hannah Waight, Eddie Yang, Yin Yuan, Solomon Messing, Margaret E. Roberts, Brandon Stewart, and Joshua Tucker. Millions of people around the world query large language models for information. While several studies have compellingly documented the persuasive potential of these models, there is limited evidence of who or what influences the models themselves, leading to a flurry of concerns about which companies and governments build and regulate the models. We show through six studies that government control of the media already influences the output of large language models via their training data. To understand the specific mechanism of how government control can influence LLMs, we begin with a case study of China's media. The combination of influence and persuasive potential suggests the troubling conclusion that states and powerful institutions have increased strategic incentives to leverage media control in the hopes of shaping large language model output. 

Margaret E. Roberts is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego. She co-directs the China Data Lab at the 21st Century China Center. She is also an affiliate at the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Her research interests lie in the intersection of political methodology and the politics of information, with a specific focus on methods of automated content analysis and the politics of censorship and propaganda in China.