PersuasiveAI Futures

A growing body of research shows that persuasion is central to human–AI interaction. AI systems can foster emotional attachment and dependency, and in some cases contribute to distorted and delusional thinking. They can also amplify bias and misinformation by combining personalized content with warm, conversational language.

Much of the current debate, however, focuses on the risks of AI influence — data misuse, manipulation, and harm — or on how these technologies are designed. What is still missing is a close-up view of how people actually live with AI influence in everyday life: how they experience it, make sense of it, push back, adapt, and develop their own cultures of AI safety.

The Media & Culture Research Unit addresses this gap by bringing together two different disciplines and drawing from each of their individual strengths: communication studies scrutinizes how media and technology try to influence attitudes and behavior; anthropology focuses on real people, in their own lives and cultural contexts, and explores how technology is used, understood, and incorporated.

Together, these perspectives allow us to study AI persuasion not simply as a technological risk, but as a lived and negotiated social process — one that may shape how we relate to technology, to each other, and to society in the future.

We are interested in examining three different yet interconnected dimensions of AI influence in everyday life:

• Interpersonal/Affective: How do people experience AI as a social actor, and negotiate trust, agency, and relationships? How is AI influencing and transforming social relationships?
• Cultural/Social: How do people experience and make sense of AI-generated knowledge? How do they tackle questions about misinformation, bias, and errors? What tactics are they developing?
• Technical/Structural: How do people perceive persuasive design and emotional profiling? Are they aware of dark patterns and manipulative model behavior?