With A Straight Bat

Marketing | Technology | Artificial Intelligence | Analytics | Automation | Data

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The problem begins when “for” is replaced by “to“—Everything I Do, I Do It “to” You.

In an exciting panel discussion, our moderator (a distinguished Professor of Marketing at a leading B-school in India), asked me if Artificial Intelligence is becoming a marketer’s tool for self-serving consumer manipulation—luring them into unnecessary purchases.

The answer depends on who you ask and what their perspective is. As a consumer, I won’t call myself stupid. I know when someone is trying to entice me into something that isn’t in my best interest (But if I still fall for it, then it is my greed running rings around reason). On the other hand, as a marketer, the answer is not so straightforward. It depends on how the AI is being used.

There is no denying that since commerce went on the Internet, markets have been in control. And with AI, marketers have secured the ability to track, measure, and “influence” consumer behavior in a manner without precedent. The question is, to what extent will the marketer go to exploit this power?

If AI is used to understand customer needs, match them to products or services, and make their “opt-in” shopping experience convenient and secure, it’s a win-win for all. But if networked intelligence threatens human autonomy and faculties – intruding and persuading them to buy things they don’t need, aversion could be a question of time. I sensed it when an eminent senior journalist raised the concern with me.

>> MORE IN A PODCAST coming soon…

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