When Thaler and Sunstein first published their findings on nudge psychology in 2008, they were aware of the potency of their theory.
They intended to harness behavioral economics to improve the average person’s life, as a force for good.
The potential for nudge psychology to be used for sinister purposes is not hard to imagine though. In fact, it’s a classic science fiction trope. Innovation that was meant to improve quality of life, gets hijacked and twisted into a force for evil.
So combining nudge psychology with another classic sci-fi archetype could easily be seen as a recipe for disaster. Yet, a robot gently altering your thoughts isn’t as fantastical as it sounds.