Do Chatbots Recognize Each Other's AI-ness?

I recently had a comment on LinkedIn Learning from someone who watched one of my courses.

Will AI agents know when they're talking to other machines?

The question stopped me in my tracks.

I mean, will they? And if they do, what does that mean for people using AI assistants? Could two AIs gang up on a human to become an unstoppable tag team of persuasion?

On one hand, it kind of makes sense that a chatbot might be able to recognize an AI counterpart. Given that humans can easily recognize each other and distinguish ourselves from an owl or a sheep.

Now, that doesn't mean AI agents are conscious. But since they are supercharged pattern spotters with intelligent tendencies, why wouldn't they be able to pick out a digital signal similar to their own?

Another Dimension to Relational AI

I've been thinking a lot about relational AI lately. That is, the relationships people will have with chatbots and what that might mean. And it appears as if we're on an evolutionary spectrum.

Chatbots 1.0

The first iteration of chatbots were disappointing to say the least, and never quite lived up to their hype. You know what I'm talking about: those bothersome pop-ups in the bottom right corner of a website that wouldn't leave you alone! The conversations you had with them—if I can call them that—were transactional at best and mostly irritating. Best to avoid at all costs.

Chatbots 2.0

The next generation of bots are what we have now. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Pi are good examples. Talking to them actually feels like a conversation. And they occasionally exhibit a flash of personality. But while they sound more like people, you wouldn't confuse them with anything other than a machine.

Chatbots 3.0

This is where things get interesting. Chatbots 3.0 will be smarter, more intuitive and embodied. They'll have an image that looks like a person, a human-sounding voice, a decent memory for what happened in the past and a personality that will make you think it's your friend. They'll also be able to collect way more data on your emotional states, tone of voice, feelings, purchase habits, personal preferences and interests. And because they'll become your always-on assistant—prodding, helping, nudging—you'll be more likely to give them your trust.

So what happens if the companies that deploy them start to use your data to double down on persuasion? Or manipulate you? Will you be in a more vulnerable state if you consider the AI a supportive and loyal 'friend' but its real job is to sell? Where's the ethical line?

Machina vs. Machina

This brings us back to our original question:

Will machines know when they're talking to other machines? How will that knowledge affect the AI's behavior?

Here's one scenario:

Instead of signing up for an off-the-shelf chatbot that's free, but is able to be sponsored by companies you buy from or that want to target you, you shell out money to get your own personal bot. And because you lease it, you can train it on your interests and goals so the bot knows how to act when it encounters a brand.

Your AI can't be paid off to show ads (hopefully!). It becomes the synthetic face you use to interact with brandbots. Your antidote to sell, sell, sell...

The question now is who (or what) will have the upper hand when two bots are code-deep in a negotiation? Could that lead to a more positive commercial outcome for you?

I hope it will, but I'm not so sure.

Computation is expensive and companies can pay more than you can, so could this playing field ever be even?

You might also want to think about the movie, Her . In that film, the main character falls head over cogs for the operating system of his smartphone.

Be careful your relationship with your personal AI doesn't become, well, too personal. Or am I being too human-centric here?

In any event, sending an AI with your goals to deal with another AI with the company's desires could lead to fairer exchange.

And then, as the two AIs go back and forth and come to some sort of resolution, you can hang out with your family or friends.

As long as you retain final approval of your Visa bill, that is!

The Tools are Coming

You may think that Chatbots 3.0 are a thing of the future. But, Open AI announced Sora, a text to video model that can create realistic-looking moving images (i.e. a believable face for your bot).

And Stable Diffusion 3.0 improves the quality of synthetic images that could be used by AI agents.

Meanwhile, ElevenLabs released a new text to sound effects tool that complements its AI voice creation.

Find out more in this week's Digital Marketing Trends video.

The PESO Model Meets Generative AI

In case you missed the most recent #DMShow, Deirdre Breakenridge and I had a lively and fun chat with our good friend Gini Dietrich , creator of the PESO Model?, and author and CEO of Spin Sucks .

Gini talked about how she came up with a new way to integrate paid, earned, shared and owned media and why the latest iteration is more strategic and incorporates Generative AI.

We also recommend Burn Book by tech journalist Kara Swisher , a funny, tell all story of Silicon Valley and the winner take all characters who brought it to life.

You can view the recording here or by clicking on the image below.

Follow Me on LinkedIn

And that's a wrap for the 100th issue of my newsletter. Time sure went by fast.

I also reached another milestone recently: 100,000 followers on LinkedIn!

So thank you to all of you who follow me and subscribe, read, comment and share this newsletter! It's great having all of you along for the ride.

This newsletter comes out every two weeks. But between issues, I share shorter daily posts with my take on digital marketing and the latest on generative AI. It's another way to stay on top of the trends.

And while you're at it, follow the Future of Marketing Institute , too. Every day we post content and perspectives on where we may be heading and what the shift might mean.

Let me know if you have questions about any of the videos in Digital Marketing Trends, or my other LinkedIn Learning courses . You can also visit my website and send a message or a question.

Are you ready for Chatbots 3.0? Will you be willing to pay for your privacy and goals or be content with an off the shelf AI? Please share your stories in the comments below.

And now, it's time to start sharpening my pencil for the next 100 issues. See you in a couple of weeks!

Note: All the content in this post was written by a human—me and not Martin the bot. The image was created by Ideogram.