My “aha” moment happened recently. My associate and I were working on a presentation for our clients about modern workforce solutions addressing the challenges of remote work and security. Using Google’s free tool, NotebookLM, he created a podcast, entirely AI-generated, that was so compelling, it shook me. In that moment, I realized just how this technology could threaten humanity as we know it. Combined with quantum computing, AI’s growing power demands, and political shifts toward autocracy, this is perhaps the greatest threat to the world order and humanity in modern history.

I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s not. What struck me was how emotionally convincing the fabricated podcast was. It wasn’t real, yet it moved me. That same power can be used to mass-produce content designed to influence thought and behavior. With the right message, format, and messenger, even fiction can feel like truth. Governments and powerful entities can exploit this, weaponizing our emotions to shape our beliefs and actions.

Reporter Tom Bartlett, from The Atlantic, profiles a controversial study by University of Zurich researchers where they found that AI driven posts on Reddit were most successful in persuading the opinions of other human participants. You can read more about this experiment on The Atlantic and on NPR.

We like to think we’re rational, but we’re not. Emotions govern nearly everything: whom we love, where we live, what we buy, the careers we pursue. Sales and marketing professionals understand this well—emotions close deals, not logic. If we’re constantly exposed to emotionally manipulative content and lack the tools to critically evaluate it, we lose our agency, our free will, and perhaps even our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

There is strong science around the power of emotions. Ethan Kross, author of the book Shift, demonstrates through scientific studies the ways in which our emotions affect us and how we can manage them. If we’re subject to the emotional manipulation of overwhelming and compelling AI driven content, we are likely to become the very sheep we fear. And if we’re not in control of that content or trained on how to understand it and it’s emotional impact, we are not the ones in control.

Consider this: I love watching motorcycle and car shows. Some of the most emotionally detached people are the men who love their cars and bikes. Many of them think they’re emotionally simple, direct and logical people. The irony is that these are the same people collecting muscle cars and custom modifications purely for the feeling it gives them. They are the very epitome of the emotionally driven art lover, willing to spend money and resources that are entirely based on emotion. I watch the Mecum and Barrett Jackson car auctions and watch these same people spend tens, hundreds and sometimes millions of dollars on effectively useless equipment. That’s emotion in action.

Still skeptical? Look at the rising crisis of gambling addiction, particularly around sports betting. In Massachusetts alone, people reported gambling problems jumped from 12.7% in 2014 to 25.6% in 2023. People knowingly destroy their lives, and those of their loved ones, because emotional impulses override rational judgment. The emotional reward is so powerful, it eclipses consequences. That same principle makes emotional manipulation more powerful than drugs or physical power.

The atomic bomb of this century isn’t nuclear, it’s AI-powered, emotionally manipulative content. Combined with the reach of the internet and social media, it allows curated information to be injected directly into our minds. Making matters worse, trustworthy news sources are shrinking, and access to reliable content is increasingly hidden behind paywalls. It’s a race for power like no other. For all its productive uses, the race for AI technology and technological primacy is not about improving our lives, but rather a race for global power.

Much political rhetoric, especially around First and Second Amendment rights, is also part of this manipulation. Arguments about freedom of speech and gun rights are often used to distract and divide. Bumper stickers like “If guns kill people, do pens misspell words?” are clever, but they miss the bigger point. Real power doesn’t lie in firearms, it lies in controlling information and influencing emotion. Division is the goal, and many don’t see they’re being played.

Quantum computing will amplify this exponentially. “Q-Day,” the hypothetical moment quantum computers can break current encryption standards, could arrive before 2035, if it hasn’t already. Governments have been stockpiling encrypted data for years, waiting for the day it becomes readable. Once AI and quantum power converge, decades of private communication could be analyzed and exploited to manipulate individuals and populations on an unprecedented scale.

The convergence of AI, emotion, and geopolitics is fundamentally changing the world. The fact that a fake podcast could make me feel something so deeply is proof of how easily we can be influenced. We are emotional beings first, rational beings second, and now there is a reliable, scalable way to exploit that truth. Without critical thinking, education, and emotional literacy, we risk surrendering our thoughts, behaviors, and freedoms to those who can most effectively control the narrative.

This is not just a technical or political crisis, it’s a philosophical and moral one. Even the new Pope Leo recognizes the risks. What kind of future do we want to build? Our ability to protect truth, agency, and societal cohesion is at stake.