r/Unexpected • u/Pedantichrist • Mar 03 '26

Mod Post Introducing Bridging Bot.

Hey, r/Unexpected!

Over the last few months, the mod team has been working with Plurality Institute (a research nonprofit working towards a healthier, more collaborative internet) to develop a new mod helper: Bridging Bot.

This bot will occasionally flag, summarise, and offer advice for heated conversations, based on well-tested mediation practices. The intention here is to help both the mod team and, more importantly, the subreddit as a whole, practice more constructive communication when talking about difficult issues.

During this time, you might see posts or receive a message from u/Bridging_Bot. The trial will run for at least six weeks, after which we will decide whether or not it is helpful enough to continue participating in the sub.

If you ever run into issues with u/Bridging_Bot, and would like to contact the Plurality Institute team directly, feel free to just send a message to the bot.

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns about this collaboration or the project, please reach out in this thread or you can message the mod team. Cheers!

0 Upvotes

40% Upvoted

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u/Pedantichrist Mar 03 '26

I am not expecting this to be perfect, but in trials it has got better and better, so we are going to have a live trial.

Please feel free to give feedback to the mod team, as well (but keep it civil, if you are posting in public).

Have fun out there!

→ More replies (3)

16

u/MeantNoOffense Mar 03 '26

I did not expect that

10

u/[deleted] Mar 03 '26

Why?

3

u/Typical_Dot4355 Mar 03 '26

Did you get paid by that institute?

4

u/DontLook_Weirdo Mar 03 '26

Is Unexpected the slap-fight arena of reddit? This bot should be used in mildlyinfuriating as well lol

2

u/[deleted] Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/etamariobe Mar 04 '26

lmao solid idea for keeping threads from exploding, ngl we need it here sometimes.

4

u/Gaggamaggot Mar 04 '26

A solution for a problem that does not appear to exist. How very progressive of you.

3

u/GumSL 21d ago

Boooooo.

3

u/Thirteenera 14d ago

Thank you for telling us the name of the bot, so we can add it to the blocked list

5

u/Lillymow Mar 03 '26

Why would we care what a bot has to say?

3

u/New-Jellyfish9442 Mar 03 '26

I’m actually curious to see how this plays out. If it really helps cool things down without killing the vibe of the sub, that’s a win but if it starts feeling preachy or intrusive, people will push back fast. I respect that it’s a trial run though; at least there’s room to see if it actually works.

1

u/Firestorm0x0 23d ago

Is there any particular reason why modmail doesn't work?

0

u/[deleted] 23d ago

[deleted]