IDENTITY VALLEY NEWSLETTER #6

The "New" Attention Economy

Your AI Therapist Is Ready to See You Now (and Sell Your Data)

by Ferdinand Ferroli

While debates about artificial general intelligence (AGI) grow ever more absurd, and AI agents prove less revolutionary than expected, Meta is quietly rolling out a more realistic vision for the future digital economy: instead of promising salvation from all chores through AI, Meta is doubling down on the business model that made it rich - monetising personal data.

In a recent interview, Mark Zuckerberg laid out a clear plan:

1. Seamlessly weave AI into the “social” web to drive engagement

2. Hook users on Meta’s chatbots to extract personal data

3. Sell businesses access to an agentic, black-box behavioural ad system

Not only Meta has understood that dreams of AGI won’t save the bottom line. OpenAI CEO Altman has said that one of the “killer” applications for LLMs will be a chatbot that combines “absolutely everything about my whole life – every email, every conversation I’ve ever had.” The only thing OpenAI is still missing, is the social network to turn engagement into profit – but this is reportedly a work in progress.

As LLM-driven chatbots begin acting as personalised therapists, companions, or friends, their persuasive power grows decisively. Studies have shown that personalised LLMs are highly persuasive. This feature is key to transforming behavioural ads, a cornerstone of the digital economy today, into something far more powerful and intrusive than the targeted ads of Web 2.0.

AI can shape information environments, creating opaque echo chambers of one and talk users into what it knows they’re vulnerable to. Once AI chatbots are part of users’ daily routines Zuckerberg’s vision of frictionless advertising is complete: brands name an outcome, connect their bank account, and let AI do the rest.

With persuasive AI set to become a constant presence in our digital lives, we must stop treating personalisation uncritically as innovation but as a problematic factor demanding real action. In this light, banning behavioural advertising altogether should not be off the table.

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Ideas worth sharing

This CEPS dataset maps the overflowing digital policy landscape - organising global regulations into clear themes like privacy, cybersecurity, and innovation. A vital tool for navigating today’s complex digital governance.

Real privacy today requires extraordinary effort - burner phones, alias identities, and help from specialist consultants. In a world where everything moves online, meaningful privacy becomes a full-time job. This article could also be titled "a day in the life of a privacy extremist" and shows how it is done.

A broad European coalition of policy experts outlines six major reforms to reclaim digital sovereignty, from infrastructure to regulation, reducing dependence on foreign tech. A strategic push not for isolation but a more resilient digital future.

This presentation shows why struggle is essential to mastery - and how AI might rob us of it. Despite promises of revolution, tech can't replace the human connection at the heart of real learning.

The documentary "TikTok: Under the Influence" explores TikTok’s rise and its powerful algorithm, created by Chinese tech firm Bytedance. It reveals the app’s central role in a growing geopolitical battle over data and influence.

Meta CEO Zuckerberg presents Meta’s AI vision: personal therapists and social assistants that remember everything, and corporate agents that turn user wishes into "verifiable" outcomes - while keeping the mechanics hidden behind algorithmic curtains. A frictionless funnel from desire to monetised engagement.

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Connect & Share

As we are always looking to find like-minded people and expand the responsible tech community subscribe to this newsletter if you want to stay connected or share if you think someone else might be interested.

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Hidden gem

What makes LLMs work isn’t deep neural networks or attention mechanisms or vector databases or anything like that.

What makes LLMs work is our tendency to see faces on toast.

-Jason Gorman (jasongorman@mastodon.cloud)

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Open Letter: Made in Europe. Built on Principles. For the People.

In an open letter to German Federal Digital Minister Dr. Karsten Wildberger Identity Valley Research gGmbH and KI Park e.V. outline a strategic vision for Germany's digital sovereignty under the banner "Made in Europe. Built on Principles. For the People."

Digital sovereignty has become critically urgent due to current geopolitical developments, disruptive AI innovation, and shifting transatlantic dynamics. We propose five key priorities for strengthening Germany's sovereign digital future:

i) expanding leadership in responsible technologies through ESG-like standards for the digital sector; (ii) credibly strengthening enforcement while building civil society resilience; (iii) developing digital infrastructures for the common good including the German stack and EuroStack initiatives; (iv) implementing EU-led talent strategies that combine scientific excellence with social impact; (v) and strengthening democracy through digital rights by establishing local digital engagement hubs where citizens can understand and exercise their digital rights.

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Milestones

Identity Valley Joins two EU-Funded projects advancing human-centered digitalisation.

EU-CIP – European Cancer Information Portal
EU-CIP is building a patient-centered digital platform offering reliable, compassionate cancer support. Identity Valley contributes its Digital Responsibility Goals to ensure ethical, secure, and user-friendly design.

EUDHIT – European Digital Humanism Initiative
EUDHIT reimagines digital ecosystems that serves people, not just algorithms. Identity Valley helps develop metrics to measure and promote human-centered, trustworthy digital ecosystems.

More details to follow soon.

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Some upcoming events

July 8-11, Geneve
AI for Good Global Summit

July 16, London
All Tech Is Human’s Responsible Tech London

October 22-23, Brussels
DRG4FOOD Final Conference