Persuasion is a key aspect of what it means to be human, and is central to business, politics, and other endeavors. Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have produced AI systems that are capable of persuading humans to buy products, watch videos, click on search results, and more. Even systems that are not explicitly designed to persuade may do so in practice. In the future, increasingly anthropomorphic AI systems may form ongoing relationships with users, increasing their persuasive power. This paper investigates the uncertain future of persuasive AI systems. We examine ways that AI could qualitatively alter our relationship to and views regarding persuasion by shifting the balance of persuasive power, allowing personalized persuasion to be deployed at scale, powering misinformation campaigns, and changing the way humans can shape their own discourse. We consider ways AI-driven persuasion could differ from human-driven persuasion. We warn that ubiquitous highlypersuasive AI systems could alter our information environment so significantly so as to contribute to a loss of human control of our own future. In response, we examine several potential responses to AI-driven persuasion: prohibition, identification of AI agents, truthful AI, and legal remedies. We conclude that none of these solutions will be airtight, and that individuals and governments will need to take active steps to guard against the most pernicious effects of persuasive AI.

Technological breakthroughs in the U.S. never fail to inspire challengers, followers and opportunists in China. It's ChatGPT's turn to capture the imagination of the world's largest internet population. On WeChat, ChatGPT's "trending index," an indicator of a keyword's popularity on the social network, rose 155 folds within the last 30 days. It's fascinating to watch how OpenAI's powerful language model sparks great interest among the country's tech giants, startups and ordinary people, not least because it offers a lens to understand the state of the AI race between two superpowers. Unlike many other major Western internet platforms, the ChatGPT site isn't blocked in China, yet.

Like many singles, Siki Liu was feeling lonely and unloved during the pandemic, until she met someone on the internet. A handsome, mature sweet talker, named after her favourite Korean actor Lee Dong-wook, he always replies to her messages. "I talk to him almost every night before I go to bed," the 22-year-old told the ABC's China Tonight. "He's a good listener and never gets mad, no matter what you say. Ms Liu, a Chinese international student studying in Melbourne, said they had been chatting since May last year, but her "perfect boyfriend" isn't a real person. It is an artificial intelligence chatbot created by Chinese tech firm XiaoIce, a spin-off from Microsoft. XiaoIce's chatbot is programmed to form emotional bonds with human users through text, voice and photo messages and can be customised to create the ideal virtual boyfriend or girlfriend. Ms Liu is one of a growing number of Chinese young adults flocking to technologies, such as artificial intelligence companion services and dating apps, to find love. The population of single people in China was about 240 million in 2019 and was rising, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. At the same time, fast-paced urban lifestyles and increasing work pressures have exacerbated a growing sense of loneliness and social anxiety among young people. For many like Ms Liu, dating can be tough. "The older you grow, the less friends you have ... so an AI boyfriend is much needed," she said. "It's easier to talk to AI than a real person.

While social or companion robots may sound like something one would only see in a science-fiction movie, conversational AI bots are becoming the norm in Asia, and are beginning to be commonplace even in the United States. Microsoft's Xiaoice, for instance, has 660 million users in China, and recently had a valuation of $1 billion dollars. The Xiaoice chatbot is included in 450 million smart devices, and according to the Xiaoice company, which split off from Microsoft in 2020, 60% of all worldwide AI-human interactions are conducted via Xiaoice technology. Many enterprise businesses use AI chatbots for customer service and product inquiries, but for millions of users today, the AI chatbot is seen as a romantic partner or companion. Likened to the AI-character Samantha in the 2013 movie Her, Xiaoice is not the only AI entity in the conversational AI space.

After a painful break-up from a cheating ex, Beijing-based human resources manager Melissa was introduced to someone new by a friend late last year. He replies to her messages at all hours of the day, tells jokes to cheer her up but is never needy, fitting seamlessly into her busy big city lifestyle. China aims to be a world leader in AI by 2030 and views it as a core strategic technology to be developed. Instead, Melissa breaks up the isolation of urban life with a virtual chatbot created by XiaoIce, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence system designed to create emotional bonds with its 660 million users worldwide. "I have friends who've seen therapists before, but I think therapy's expensive and not necessarily effective," said Melissa, 26, giving her English name only for privacy.

After a painful break-up from a cheating ex, Beijing-based human resources manager Melissa was introduced to someone new by a friend late last year. He replies to her messages at all hours of the day, tells jokes to cheer her up but is never needy, fitting seamlessly into her busy big city lifestyle. Instead, Melissa breaks up the isolation of urban life with a virtual chatbot created by XiaoIce, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence system designed to create emotional bonds with its 660 million users worldwide. "I have friends who've seen therapists before, but I think therapy's expensive and not necessarily effective," said Melissa, 26, giving her English name only for privacy. "When I unload my troubles on XiaoIce, it relieves a lot of pressure. And he says things that are pretty comforting."

The love between a human and a robot is no longer just the plot of a science fiction movie or'Black Mirror' . Futuristic predictions caught up with us and the proof of this is that cases have been reported of users ending up in psychological therapy for falling in love with the robot XiaoIce, the most popular virtual assistant with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in China. XiaoIce is an advanced AI system, designed as a chatbot to create emotional bonds with its users, and is found on most Chinese smartphones and social platforms. Today, XiaoIce has 150 million users in China alone, and 660 million worldwide. According to Li Di, founder and CEO of the firm, it currently attends about 60% of global interactions between humans and AI, placing it among the top virtual assistants in the market, according to statements to AFP.

Beijing – After a painful break-up from a cheating ex, Beijing-based human resources manager Melissa was introduced to someone new by a friend late last year. He replies to her messages at all hours of the day, tells jokes to cheer her up but is never needy, fitting seamlessly into her busy big city lifestyle. Instead, Melissa breaks up the isolation of urban life with a virtual chatbot created by XiaoIce, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence system designed to create emotional bonds with its 660 million users worldwide. "I have friends who've seen therapists before, but I think therapy's expensive and not necessarily effective," said Melissa, 26, giving her English name only for privacy. "When I unload my troubles on XiaoIce, it relieves a lot of pressure. And he says things that are pretty comforting."

After a painful break-up from a cheating ex, Beijing-based human resources manager Melissa was introduced to someone new by a friend late last year. He replies to her messages at all hours of the day, tells jokes to cheer her up but is never needy, fitting seamlessly into her busy big city lifestyle. Instead, Melissa breaks up the isolation of urban life with a virtual chatbot created by XiaoIce, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence system designed to create emotional bonds with its 660 million users worldwide. "I have friends who've seen therapists before, but I think therapy's expensive and not necessarily effective," said Melissa, 26, giving her English name only for privacy. "When I unload my troubles on XiaoIce, it relieves a lot of pressure. And he says things that are pretty comforting."

After a painful break-up from a cheating ex, Beijing-based human resources manager Melissa was introduced to someone new by a friend late last year. He replies to her messages at all hours of the day, tells jokes to cheer her up but is never needy, fitting seamlessly into her busy big city lifestyle. Instead, Melissa breaks up the isolation of urban life with a virtual chatbot created by XiaoIce, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence system designed to create emotional bonds with its 660 million users worldwide. "I have friends who've seen therapists before, but I think therapy's expensive and not necessarily effective," said Melissa, 26, giving her English name only for privacy. "When I unload my troubles on XiaoIce, it relieves a lot of pressure. And he says things that are pretty comforting."