An Empirical Study of Group Conformity in Multi-Agent Systems

Min Choi, Keonwoo Kim, Sungwon Chae, Sangyeop Baek


Abstract
Recent advances in Large Language Models (LLMs) have enabled multi-agent systems that simulate real-world interactions with near-human reasoning. While previous studies have extensively examined biases related to protected attributes such as race, the emergence and propagation of biases on socially contentious issues in multi-agent LLM interactions remain underexplored. This study explores how LLM agents shape public opinion through debates on five contentious topics. By simulating over 2,500 debates, we analyze how initially neutral agents, assigned a centrist disposition, adopt specific stances over time. Statistical analyses reveal significant group conformity mirroring human behavior; LLM agents tend to align with numerically dominant groups or more intelligent agents, exerting a greater influence. These findings underscore the crucial role of agent intelligence in shaping discourse and highlight the risks of bias amplification in online interactions. Our results emphasize the need for policy measures that promote diversity and transparency in LLM-generated discussions to mitigate the risks of bias propagation within anonymous online environments.
Anthology ID:
2025.findings-acl.265
Volume:
Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: ACL 2025
Month:
July
Year:
2025
Address:
Vienna, Austria
Editors:
Wanxiang Che, Joyce Nabende, Ekaterina Shutova, Mohammad Taher Pilehvar
Venue:
Findings
SIG:
Publisher:
Association for Computational Linguistics
Note:
Pages:
5123–5139
Language:
URL:
https://preview.aclanthology.org/display_plenaries/2025.findings-acl.265/
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Bibkey:
Cite (ACL):
Min Choi, Keonwoo Kim, Sungwon Chae, and Sangyeop Baek. 2025. An Empirical Study of Group Conformity in Multi-Agent Systems. In Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: ACL 2025, pages 5123–5139, Vienna, Austria. Association for Computational Linguistics.
Cite (Informal):
An Empirical Study of Group Conformity in Multi-Agent Systems (Choi et al., Findings 2025)
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PDF:
https://preview.aclanthology.org/display_plenaries/2025.findings-acl.265.pdf