EDITORIAL: While Artificial Intelligence (AI) began making its presence felt in the late 1990s, subtly embedded in systems and technologies that shaped modern life — from search engines and fraud detection systems used by banks to supply chain optimisation by companies like Amazon — it is its dizzying rate of progress in the 2010s that has proved truly revolutionary.
This rapid evolution, however, has not only unlocked vast opportunities across fields like healthcare, finance and entertainment, it has also raised profound questions regarding societal disruptions, ethical boundaries and the potential misuse of such transformative power – concerns that strike at the very heart of the future of mankind and its coexistence with intelligent machines.
In yet another such warning, researchers from the University of Cambridge have cautioned that AI tools may soon “covertly influence” users’ decision-making in a new commercial frontier called the “intention economy”.
In a paper published in the Harvard Data Science Review, the researchers contend that as we become more comfortable interacting with chatbots, digital tutors and other human-like AI agents, we are enabling the development of “persuasive technologies”, which blend knowledge of our online activities with the growing ability to understand and predict our desires, creating deeper levels of trust and connection. The danger here lies in lack of proper safeguards and regulation of these systems, which could lead to “social manipulation on an industrial scale”.
As the paper explains, this rise of the “intention economy” will see AI tools use Large Language Models to profile users’ behaviours, preferences and communication styles, ultimately aiming to influence and commodify human intentions. These tools can then potentially target users based on various factors – age, gender, politics, online history – and promote specific products, platforms, or even political agendas.
Without effective regulation, the authors warn, this could lead to a future where the integrity of free and fair elections, a free press and fair market competition could all be easily undermined. Those with resources could manipulate individual preferences and behaviours at a scale and precision previously unimaginable. The inevitable erosion of democratic processes that could follow, concentrating power in the hands of a few and distorting public discourse to serve vested interests could shake the very foundations of society, threatening fundamental freedoms on a global scale.
Over the past decade we have already witnessed technology and dishonest actors combine to exploit public fears to sway electoral exercises, as seen in the 2016 US presidential race and during the Brexit vote in the UK. It is clear then that if governments worldwide fail to heed warnings regarding AI, we risk a future where tech giants and billionaires like Elon Musk – who, it’s worth noting, spent approximately USD 277 million in the 2024 US presidential elections – could monopolise this transformative power, and play a profound role in reshaping global politics and democratic processes. It’s important to note that warnings about the dangers of AI are not new.
Geoffrey Hinton, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist and “godfather of AI” has consistently emphasised the urgent need for massive investments in AI safety and regulation. In fact, he has gone as far as to state that there is a 10-20 percent chance that AI technologies could lead to a catastrophe capable of destroying humanity, warning that AI now surpasses human intelligence.
It is evident that governments have fallen far behind in adapting to the fast-evolving tech landscape, creating substantial gaps in legislation related to technology use, especially AI, and the practices of tech giants. This must change. Governments worldwide must make the necessary investments in AI safety, establish dedicated systems and departments staffed with experts who comprehend both the potential risks and promises of AI, and craft thoughtful policies, regulations and laws to effectively manage the seemingly inexorable march of these transformative technologies.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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