Sophistry on steroids? The ethics, epistemology and politics of persuasive AI

McKenna, R (2025) Sophistry on steroids? The ethics, epistemology and politics of persuasive AI AI and Society. pp. 1-12. ISSN 0951-5666, 1435-5655

Access the full-text of this item by clicking on the Open Access link.

Abstract

This paper examines the ethical, epistemological, and political implications of persuasive AI technologies. Recent research suggests that AI is roughly as persuasive as humans in many contexts. Should this concern us? I argue that, while some worries about persuasive AI may be overblown, we should be worried for a mix of ethical, epistemological and political reasons. Most centrally, we should be worried because persuasive AI may lead to a small number of powerful actors dominating what I call the “marketplace of arguments”—the set of arguments that provide the materials we use to discuss important moral, political and societal issues.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	50 Philosophy and Religious Studies, 5001 Applied Ethics
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of the Arts
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	25 Sep 2025 09:59
Last Modified:	24 Jan 2026 05:27
DOI:	10.1007/s00146-025-02624-z
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-025-02624-z
Related Websites:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3194595
Disclaimer:	The University of Liverpool is not responsible for content contained on other websites from links within repository metadata. Please contact us if you notice anything that appears incorrect or inappropriate.