Agustin Prinetti

I am a PhD candidate in Political Science at Rice University.

I work on the intersection of comparative politics, communication, and technology. My research explores the adoption of new digital tools across different political contexts and its influence on the ways citizens learn about and engage with politics.

Originally from Argentina, I began my journey in Political Science at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, where I was part of the research team in charge of the Government Confidence Index. Before starting my PhD, I worked as a Research Analyst for the Government of the City of Buenos Aires.

Outside of academia, I enjoy learning new languages: I am fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian, and I am currently studying French. I also enjoy swimming and rewatching The Simpsons.

Research Interests

My research examines how people learn about politics in online settings, with a focus on misinformation and the use of AI tools for factual verification. I study how citizens across political contexts interact with misinformation on social media and how factual corrections from varied sources and formats shape their beliefs and behavior. Methodologically, I combine the observational study of social media data with immersive online experiments that closely recreate real-world digital environments.

Misinformation

Digital Politics

Artificial Intelligence

Electoral Campaigns

Social Media Data

Experimental Methods

Research Projects in Progress

“Hey @bot, is this true?”: How Users Turn to AI for Political News Verification

In 2025, social media platforms ended collaborations with professional fact-checkers amid accusations of bias and evidence that fact-checks often circulate only among already informed audiences. As an alternative, platforms launched verification tools that bypass journalists and experts. This paper leverages the introduction of the first public-facing AI chatbots on X (Twitter) in early 2025, which were widely adopted for news verification. Based on interactions collected in four countries, I examine whether chatbots reach wider audiences than traditional fact-checkers, and how each country’s political context and users’ ideological leanings shape their modes of use of these new factual verification tools.

Do Androids Dream of Corrective Tweets? Dynamic Patterns in AI Verification of Political Misinformation

This paper examines the conditions under which artificial intelligence produces accurate factual verifications during political misinformation cycles. As partnerships between professional fact-checkers and social media companies erode, platforms have started deploying AI-based replacements. Focusing on Grok, the AI chatbot integrated into X (Twitter) and promoted as a factual verification tool, I show that the quality of its verifications evolves dynamically as human-generated information becomes available. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of AI-based verification depends, to a certain extent, on the same human activity it seeks to replace.

Campaign Negativity and Political Participation in the Social Media Era

(With Asahi Obata and Randy Stevenson) Do negative political campaigns lead to lower political participation? We revisit this question in the current era of multiple social and media platforms. While several studies have explored whether negative campaigns on traditional media lead to demobilization, we argue that this relationship is conditional on the media voters see negative campaigning on. We test this through the first immersive artefactual field experiment in the study of social media platforms.

Research Funding

Institutions that supported me with grants and fellowships to conduct and present my research during my PhD.

Teaching Assistant

I have worked as a TA for undergraduate-level classes on American and Comparative Politics, both in English and Spanish, and for graduate-level courses on statistics and quantitative methods. I have experience leading discussion sections and evaluating students’ performance through assignments and exams. In 2024, I completed Rice's Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning.

My teaching style privileges active engagement and dynamic learning experiences. I prefer a discussion-based approach whenever possible. I also place significant emphasis on the use of multimedia in the classroom to enhance comprehension and prepare students to navigate a multimedia-rich information landscape.

TA Roles

Quantitative Applications in Global Affairs (Fall 2024)

Prof. Daniel Potter
Rice University
Students' Rating: 4.9

Introduction to American Politics (Fall 2023)

Prof. Jaclyn Kaslovsky
Rice University
Students' Rating: 4.4

Comparative Political Systems (2021)

Prof. Ana Maria Mustapic
Universidad Torcuato Di Tella
Students' Rating: 4.3

Reviews From Students

Agustin was amazing. He gave excellent feedback on papers, graded very fairly, and drove discussions forward with compelling and interesting slideshows.

We had a lot of fun debates, questions, and ideas in our section -- making it the highlight of the entire class for me, due in large part to Agustin's energy, poise, experience, and guidance.

He was a great TA and discussion leader, and always provided opportunities for each student to share their thoughts in class.