AI tools may soon manipulate people’s online decision-making, say researchers

Study predicts an intention economy' where companies bid for accurate predictions of human behaviour

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools could be used to manipulate online audiences into making decisions - ranging from what to buy to who to vote for - according to researchers at the University of Cambridge.

The paper highlights an emerging new marketplace for digital signals of intent" - known as the intention economy" - where AI assistants understand, forecast and manipulate human intentions and sell that information on to companies who can profit from it.