I recently had the pleasure of chatting with author Ari Mendelson about his fascinating Kingmaker book series. Ari's personal journey of rediscovering his Jewish faith and learning ancient Hebrew texts using memory techniques was truly inspiring. But what really captured my attention was the underlying premise of his books - the terrifying prospect of AI "persuasion technology" being weaponized to manipulate human behavior. Ari vividly describes his villain using algorithms to electronically seduce women and influence families. It raised profound ethical questions around consent, free will, and moral culpability that gave me chills! I don't want to give away any spoilers, but Ari ultimately proposes that the key to resisting high-tech persuasion is to see the world as a collection of "tiny facts" rather than easily manipulated grand narratives. U ...