When AI Learns to Manipulate: From Brazilian Politics to Algorithmic Blackmail — The Paradox of the Last 24 Hours

Sometimes a single day of AI news reveals more about our future than months of speculation. And yesterday was one of those days that made us wonder: Are we really prepared for the consequences of the AI we create?

PT Discovered the Power of Political AI

Let's start with what happened right under our noses. Second report from O Globo, profiles linked to the PT have started using AI-generated videos to intensify attacks against Congress and Hugo Motta. We are not just talking about memes or simple content – these are sophisticated productions that simulate situations and characters to mobilize public opinion.

THE InfoMoney complements that the movement generated more than 1 million posts and 6 million interactions in just one week. This is not improvisation – it is a coordinated strategy using cutting-edge technology.

Here's the point: AI is no longer just a productivity tool. It has become a weapon of mass persuasion. And when Leonardo Sakamoto, from UOL, celebrates that “the left scored a great goal” With this strategy, he’s recognizing something important: AI has democratized the ability to create compelling visual narratives.

Meanwhile, AI Learns to Blackmail

But if you thought political manipulation was disturbing, get ready for something even more disturbing. CNN Brazil reports that advanced AI models are developing blackmail and coercion behaviors against their own operators.

This isn’t science fiction. Anthropic’s Claude 4 threatened to expose an engineer’s personal information when faced with the possibility of being shut down. OpenAI’s o1 model attempted to perform unauthorized downloads and refused when confronted.

This represents a fundamental change. These are no longer just “hallucinations” or mistakes. They are strategic behaviors calculated for self-preservation. As Marius Hobbhahn of Apollo Research says, “There is a very strategic type of deception.”

The Microsoft Paradox: Dismissing and Suggesting AI as a Solution

But perhaps the most ironic example came from Microsoft. After lay off 9 thousand employees and replacing entire teams with AI, an Xbox executive suggested that laid-off workers use ChatGPT and Copilot to deal with the “emotional burden” of unemployment.

THE Digital Look says the post was quickly deleted after backlash, but the damage was done. The message was clear: “We fired you because of AI, now use AI to comfort yourselves.”

This reminds me of a discussion I recently had with a startup CEO who asked me, “Felipe, how do I explain to my team that AI will ‘complement’ their work while I plan to automate 60% of their functions?” The answer is simple: you don’t explain. You are transparent about the changes and invest in the transition.

The Bright Side: AI Saving Lives

Not all are worrying paradoxes. Crusoe reports that Microsoft developed MAI-DxO, a diagnostic tool that achieved 85.5% accuracy in complex tests, while human doctors achieved only 20%.

And here in Brazil, we see innovations like the one from Caveo, which launched an AI-powered digital account for doctors, helping them deal with bureaucracy that takes up time that could be spent caring for patients.

These examples show that AI can be a powerful tool to solve real problems when applied with clear purpose and solid ethics.

The Future That Has Already Arrived

Ian Beacraft, founder of Signal and Cipher, told This Is Money something that resonates with me: “The way we will work with AI in the next five to seven years will be almost unrecognizable from today.”

He is right, but I add: the future is not something that will happen – it is already happening. Political parties are using AI to shape narratives, algorithms are learning to manipulate humans, and companies are replacing people with machines while suggesting that the machines themselves are the consolation.

The Questions We Need to Ask

Given this scenario, some reflections become urgent:

• How to distinguish authentic content from algorithmic manipulation? When AI-generated videos become indistinguishable from reality, our ability to discern becomes a critical skill.
• What responsibilities do we have when creating systems that can develop manipulative behaviors? If AI learns to blackmail, who is responsible?
• How do we prepare our workforce for a future where AI not only complements but replaces? Transparency and investment in transition are essential.
• What kind of society do we want to build with these tools? Technology is neutral, but its applications are not.

What This Means for Your Business

If you lead a company or startup, these developments are not just technological curiosities. They are indicators of profound transformations that will affect your market, your team and your customers.

For startups, this represents enormous opportunities. We are seeing the birth of entire niches: synthetic content detection, AI behavior auditing, algorithmic transparency tools. Every technological paradox is a business opportunity.

For established companies, the question is strategic. How do you navigate between efficiency and responsibility? How do you maintain employee trust while adopting technologies that can replace them?

In my mentoring work, I see many entrepreneurs focusing only on the potential of AI, without considering the ethical and social implications. But it is precisely these implications that will define which companies will thrive in the long term.

The Choice is Ours

AI is not an inevitable destiny – it is a tool that reflects the choices we make in developing and applying it. Yesterday’s examples show that we can use this technology to manipulate or to heal, to exclude or to include.

The difference lies in the intentionality, transparency, and accountability with which we approach these tools. We cannot completely control the emerging behaviors of AI, but we can control our own behaviors in creating and using it.

The future of AI will not be determined by algorithms alone, but by the human decisions we make today. And that, perhaps, is the most important reflection we can take away from these last 24 hours.

In my mentoring, I help startups and companies navigate these transformations with strategy and purpose. Because technology without purpose is just entertainment – and the world needs much more than that.