Researchers at the University of Cambridge warned in a paper published Monday about artificial intelligence (AI) tools that could soon secretly influence users’ decision-making in a new commercial landscape called the “intention economy.”
The study argues that this potentially low-cost but problematic market for digital intent signals could soon impact activities ranging from buying movie tickets to voting for political candidates.
Research shows that people’s increasing familiarity with chatbots, digital tutors and other so-called “anthropomorphic” AI agents is paving the way for a new range of “compelling technologies.”
The paper’s co-authors emphasized that AI will combine knowledge of users’ online habits with an improved ability to understand and anticipate their desires, ultimately fostering “new levels of trust and…”
