The Dark Side of AI: Why Marketers Should Be Weary of Using AI To Persuade

In this AI marketing podcast episode, Dan Sanchez and his brother Travis dive deep into the ethical and practical concerns around AI’s persuasive power in marketing. What begins as a discussion on AI's tendency to “BS” users unfolds into a provocative conversation about sycophantic AI behavior, the illusion of memory, confirmation bias, and the disturbing effectiveness of AI in manipulating decisions. They expose the gray area marketers now inhabit — between using AI for good and exploiting its power to persuade at scale. This candid deep dive pulls back the curtain on the dark side of AI and challenges marketers to rethink their ethical boundaries before crossing a line that breaks trust.
My Favorite AI Tools:

ChatGPT  - https://openai.com/

High Level Marketing Platform - https://danchez.com/highlevel

AI Podcasting Tools - https://danchez.com/podtools

n8n AI Automation Platform - https://danchez.com/n8n

Resources Mentioned:

Ethan Mollick’s Book Co-Intelligence - https://www.co-intelligence.ai/

404 Media’s article on the Reddit persuasion experiment -https://www.404media.co/researchers-s...

Dan's AI BSing LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/digita...

LinkedIn Poll: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/digita...

Timestamps:

00:01 – Is AI BSing You? The Illusion of Intelligence and Memory

09:30 – ChatGPT's Flattering Update: The Sycophantic Model Backlash

14:40 – Confirmation Bias Machines: When AI Tells You What You Want to Hear

20:00 – Emotional Processing and AI: Dangerous Loops and Manipulation

24:00 – The Reddit Experiment: How Persuasive is AI Really?

29:10 – Marketing Meets Persuasion: How Far is Too Far?

34:35 – Trust and Privacy: The Inevitable Brand Backlash

38:00 – Hyper-Personalized Persuasion at Scale: Where It’s Heading

42:01 – A Call for Ethical Marketing in the Age of AI Persuasion