I recently read "The Rape of the Mind" by Joost Meerloo. And while it was published 75 years ago, it felt very on point and was a great read to understand how totalitarian regimes evolve and adapt. It got me thinking a lot about the influence of propaganda, neuromarketing and AI in today's world.

So, this blog will be about the Future of Human Influence Technology.

Technology and LLMs don't just answer your questions, now they recommend products, automate routine tasks, "listens to you" and reply back. Is the perfect friend no one has. They are online 24/7, they make you feel seen and listened. They can make you feel they care.

People, instead of feeling repulsive of using this for that, they use it to heal some childhood wound. They are finally the main character, they are finally told "they are special, and that your question was a great question. Let me unfold…"

So, we no longer have to do the abstract exercise of imagining a world where technology understands what motivates you, what captures your attention, what earns your trust, and what ultimately influences your decisions, sometimes better than you understand yourself. That world is the one we live right now.

That future is our present.

So now, what?

For decades, persuasion has been one of humanity's most powerful tools. Big tanks love it. Elites need it to overpower us. Governments use it. Businesses depend on it. Advertisers refine it. Social media platforms have turned it into a science. Yet the next chapter of persuasion may be fundamentally different from anything we've experienced before.

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) is already transforming how information is created, distributed, and consumed. As AI systems become increasingly capable of analyzing behavior, predicting preferences, and generating highly personalized content, their ability to influence human thinking and decision-making grows alongside their computational power. Add the future potential of quantum computing into the equation, and we may be entering an era where persuasion itself becomes technologically amplified.

This idea is closely related to a concept known as "Captology", the study of computers as persuasive technologies. (coined by B.J. Fogg around 2002 at Stanford Behavior Design Lab.)
Originally developed to understand how digital systems influence attitudes and behaviors, Captology is becoming increasingly relevant in a world where AI can act not only as a tool, but also as an advisor, assistant, teacher, companion, and decision-making partner.

The question is no longer whether technology can persuade us. It already does.
The real question is: what happens when persuasion becomes exponentially more powerful?

On one hand, highly persuasive AI systems could help people learn more effectively, adopt healthier habits, avoid scams, and navigate increasingly complex societies. On the other hand, the same technologies could enable unprecedented forms of manipulation, dependency, behavioral control, overpower, and concentration of influence in the hands of a few organizations.

The best type of manipulation is the one that doesn't make you feel manipulated. Language is a tool that always influence us (that's why NPL and other techniques work to reprogram the way we think, and in consequence, the way we act), but influence and manipulation or brainwashing are not the same thing. They are connected, in the same way that any color is connected to another in the wavelrngth spectrum of colors.

As we stand at the intersection of AI advancement, emerging quantum capabilities, and human psychology, society faces a challenge that is as philosophical as it is technological: how do we harness the benefits of machine-powered persuasion without sacrificing autonomy, critical thinking, and trust?
But I like more: why should we harness the benefits of machine-powered persuasion without sacrificing autonomy, critical thinking, and trust? Who benefits from us even trying to make amends with AI?

Understanding that challenge begins with understanding the growing relationship between computational power and influence.

A psyche scan

An AI may now know:

• what motivates you,

• what scares you,

• when you're vulnerable,

• which words are most effective,

and then tailor messages specifically for you.

That is far more powerful than traditional advertising. Ads are still "talking" to focus groups, buyer personas… but when ads cost drop, they will probably be adapted to you only. They will speak to you, and you will not know.

Could we know already if that is happening?

Discernment is the enemy of totalitarian

The danger is not merely wrong information. The danger is that the AI is persuasive enough to convince experts not to verify it.

If you outsource your own thinking, your own abilities to choose what you care for or not, if stop thinking for yourself and you let an AI do it for you, you will be the most advanced humanoid. There will be no difference between you and the AI, is not that AI will become you, is that you will stop being. You will outsource your own divine power: free will.

That is a result of:

1. Fatigued society, that wants to speed up their way to the top. They need to optimize and automate every action, every decision, just to be left with the same amount of seconds per day. Since there cannot be void in the universe, you will end up filling your time with more tasks and nonesense, and you will call it progress. You will call it progress because that's what the AI will tell you it is. You'll have lost your own abilities to think for yourself.

2. Infantile behaviour. Many adults are just kids with bigger and taller bodies. They haven't matured entirley. They still need other adults to choose for them, to decide what's good and what's not, they prefer to belong to a group of infantile adults that is lead by someone charismatic and "alfa figure" than for themselves. It's pathetic, but it's what's necessary for AI to run your business, your personal life and your next divorce.

AI can be hacked, but so is your mind.

Who is in charge of any AI tools you're using? Are they the same psycopaths that appear in the Epst. list? Are they the same that live a frugal but luxorius life, have multiple passports and send their kids on international colleges to strengthen their ancestral elite networking?

Who are you giving access to your precious and unique mind? Who is playing with it? And why do they benefit of that? Think beyond the surface… start connecting the dots.

To sum up

Biggest concerns you should be aware of:

1. Mass manipulation

   If AI knows:
   - your personality
   - fears
   - values
   - habits
   
   Then creates:
   - perfect arguments
   - perfect emotional triggers
   
   

2. Hyper-personalized propaganda

   Political actors could generate:

   • different messages for different voters,

   • emotional manipulation,

   • invisible influence campaigns.

   People may not even realize they are being targeted.
   
   

3. Deepfake persuasion and blackmail

   As AI improves:

   • fake videos,

   • fake voices,

   • fake evidence

   become more believable.

   The persuasive impact increases as realism improves. And fake blackmail distorts the focus on real blackmail. And what once was proof an evidence, is now potential truth and evidence. Which will turn the public more docile in asking for truth and justice.
   
   

4. Dependency on AI
   Humans may begin outsourcing:

   • judgment,

   • analysis,

   • decision-making.

   Over time this will weaken critical thinking. If this happens at mass scale (and now that we know that new generations are dumber than older ones… and that this is the first time in history this involution has been detected), it's going to be easier for governments and big tanks to subordinate, manipulate and use people to their interests.

   
   

5. Loss of autonomy

   The system may subtly nudge people toward choices that benefit:

   • advertisers,

   • platforms,

   • governments,

   • corporations,

   • whoever is in charge and behind this mass engines
     
     

6. Unequal power

   Those controlling advanced AI may gain disproportionate influence over society.

   This creates power and force concentration risks, and as history has shown us, power used through idiologies, dogma, religion, etc. Is never benefitial for the majority, it only serves does playing the game from the "divide and win" perspective.

What to do now:

Become proud of your own thinking and be disugsted to let others try to outsource your mind. You can do that, by noticing how much social media, content, and anything that grabs your attention tries to influence you and hook you into wanting more.

Don't wait for laws and regulations to catch up. Do your own research, be mindful and keep disicernment on top of mind. Whenever you read something (even this article) ask yourself questions, and try to come up with your own answers.

For example, every time someone says a statement to me, I try and think for myself:
"Says who…"
"If you say so…"
"Sure this is the only way, sure…" (notice the sarcasm! Sarcasm works great even to double check your own internal dialogue)
"I'll check that later…"

Think for yourself and always make the necessary questions to ensure you have your own opinion and you are not living by proxy on every topic and aspect of your life.

Once you're proud and recognize your own mental abilities, try to create mental strenght. You can do that by:

• Writing on paper your goals and dreams

• Drawing and creating mind maps for decision making

• Read books about psychology, philosophy and topics that can expand your mind

• Realize how powerful being a free human is and realize when and who is trying to take freedoms away from you and yours

• Play any instrument or sing songs

• Be in nature at least 30min daily

• Never assume that everything is made for your greatest good, if someone benefits from you being crhonically ill, broke or angry.

• Remember, something might sound convincing but might not be correct.

• Never accept cookies, turn off as much data collection as possible that you can

• Be mindful of what data you share online and offline if the person you're talking to is recording you (or could be) with some AI glasses or audio transcript tools.

• Own your time.

• Learn about AI literacy: how AI persuades, how recommendations work,how to verify outputs.