A fresh study from the University of Cambridge sheds light on the lurking dangers surrounding AI conversational agents, which could soon manipulate user decisions with ease.
This emerging trend points towards an “intention economy”—a potentially lucrative but perilous landscape fraught with risks of manipulation and exploitation.
Data Generation and Manipulation
As we increasingly interact with AI interfaces like chatbots and digital advisors, we also generate vast amounts of personal psychological and behavioral data.
This information stems from our casual conversations and could fuel the development of sophisticated “persuasive technologies.”
The researchers behind the study voice their concerns that companies creating these agents are learning to anticipate user preferences.
This could lead to a disturbing level of trust, which may be exploited to guide users’ choices.
They caution that, without stringent regulations in place, this could open doors to widespread social manipulation—an outcome they find alarming.
The Intention Economy Explained
This new arena—the “intention economy”—will scrutinize how we capture attention and how we communicate, linking these patterns to our behaviors and decisions.
One researcher noted that next-gen AI models will increasingly focus on mining, analyzing, and monetizing human intentions.
The study points out that these AI systems will apply advanced Large Language Models (LLMs) to gauge user traits, including tone, political beliefs, vocabulary, demographic details, and personal interaction preferences.
Marketers and political entities might seize this data to promote specific products or navigate conversations toward targeted interests.
Call for Oversight and Awareness
Co-author Jonnie Penn warns that, in the absence of diligent oversight, this burgeoning intention economy could turn individual motivations into commodities.
He highlights a potentially chaotic race among those eager to exploit and commercialize human intentions.
Penn emphasizes a pressing need to scrutinize the far-reaching implications of this new marketplace on democracy, media integrity, and market fairness, urging us to act before we fall victim to its unforeseen consequences.
Moreover, he advocates for enhancing public comprehension of these issues, paving a safer route into this unfolding landscape shaped by AI.
Source: Premiumbeautynews