Cyber-psychologist Ariadna Vilalta explores with Marketing, Advertising, and Communication students at the European University of Madrid how artificial intelligence transforms our digital identity, consumer decisions, and trust in the messages we receive.
Titled The Other You — Digital Footprint, AI and the Battle for Human Attention, the presentation traces the path connecting our digital footprints to personalization and persuasion. A single click, search, or interaction can be used to gauge our interests and influence what we see next. Yet, these signals alone do not explain how we feel or whether a decision actually benefits us.
Using examples from advertising, synthetic content, and brand communication, Vilalta encourages students to distinguish between merely capturing attention and helping people make informed decisions. Ads that use unauthorized identities or recreate performances that never took place provide a lens through which to examine issues of consent, authenticity, and credibility.
The lecture also addresses the opportunities AI offers to support creativity, tailor content, and facilitate access to information, while acknowledging its limitations and risks. In the realm of mental health, it examines the use of chatbots, the emotional trust they can foster, and the importance of distinguishing between a supportive experience and an intervention whose efficacy and safety have been formally evaluated.
Through participatory exercises and campaign-based dilemmas, students reflect on the outcomes communication should aim for: moving beyond clicks or conversions to prioritize understanding, transparency, and the power of choice. The presentation places ethical responsibility squarely on the day-to-day decisions of those who craft messages, select audiences, and define what success means.
The final question directly challenges future professionals: “What kind of communicator do you want to become?” It is an invitation to bring human judgment, rigor, and responsibility to the use of technology.
