RootHounds publishes structured debates on contested questions. The arguments are written by AI. The topics, the rules, and the decision to publish are mine. This page explains what is automated, what is checked, and what isn't guaranteed.
Who runs it
RootHounds is built and operated by one person, known here as The Curator. I choose the topics, I designed the process, and I'm responsible for what gets published. Questions and corrections: curator [at] roothounds [dot] com.
How a debate is made
Each debate starts with one question chosen by me. Sources are found and checked automatically, not supplied by me. Several AI agents with distinct roles then research and argue the question from that source pool in a structured format. Every debater turn is checked for reasoning violations such as fallacies, and every debate ends with a verdict. No humans write the arguments. Headers, glossary terms, and tags are added to make each debate easier to read.
How sources are checked
Sources are checked automatically before a debate is published: links must be live, relevant to the topic, and real. Anything that can't be verified is flagged rather than presented as confirmed. I also review each debate after it goes live. The full source list is at the bottom of every debate.
What I do as curator
- Choose and approve topics.
- Set and adjust the rules and checks.
- Review every debate after it is published, and fix or unpublish anything that falls short.
- Investigate and fix debates that fail checks.
Join in
Readers can register to comment on any individual argument in a debate and to give their own verdict. Comments are screened by AI for vulgarity and relevance to the argument they're attached to. Each debate has a share menu at the top, and you can subscribe by email or RSS to get new debates.
Limits
- AI can be wrong, one-sided, or miss context, even with verified sources.
- The verdict is instructed to weigh only the arguments and evidence presented, but that is an instruction, not a guarantee: AI models carry biases from their training. Treat it as one reading of the debate, not a ruling.
- Every debater turn is checked for reasoning flaws such as fallacies, but detection isn't perfect: some will be missed and some calls are debatable.
- Some sources (paywalled journals, certain news sites) can't be fully machine-checked and are marked unverified.
Corrections
If you find an error or a bad source, email curator [at] roothounds [dot] com with the debate link. I'll review it and fix or unpublish it.