Using AI to reveal behavioural manipulations online – a step toward personal empowerment in digital design

Hi all,

I’ve been working on a project that I hope is relevant to the Futurology community, especially those interested in AI and the ethics of personalised design.

What it is:
NudgeDetect is a browser extension that uses AI to identify behavioural design techniques: sometimes called ‘dark patterns’ (on commercial websites). It highlights potentially manipulative strategies (like urgency cues or hidden defaults), rates their severity, and explains what’s going on, directly on the webpage.

Why it might matter:
As AI continues to personalise digital experiences, there’s a risk that persuasive design becomes harder to spot – and potentially more exploitative. NudgeDetect is an attempt to level the playing field. The long-term hope is to support transparency and more ethical web design (i.e., keeping user informed).

The tool is available as a Chrome Extension (see website: NudgeDetect) and doesn’t collect personal data. It's still in early development and has bugs, but I’d be curious to hear what others think about this general direction.