TLDR: Suvianna Grecu, founder of the AI for Change Foundation, cautions that the rapid, unregulated deployment of artificial intelligence poses a significant risk of a ‘trust crisis’ and could lead to ‘automating harm at scale’. She emphasizes that robust governance and the intentional embedding of human values are crucial to ensure AI serves humanity rather than solely optimizing for profit and efficiency.
Suvianna Grecu, the visionary founder of the AI for Change Foundation, has issued a stark warning regarding the unchecked proliferation of artificial intelligence, asserting that without immediate and robust governance, the world faces an impending ‘trust crisis’ and the potential for ‘automating harm at scale’. Her remarks, made on August 8, 2025, underscore a critical juncture in AI development, where speed of deployment is often prioritized over safety and ethical considerations.
Grecu contends that the fundamental ethical danger lies not within the AI technology itself, but in the glaring absence of structured oversight surrounding its integration into critical societal sectors. As AI systems increasingly influence life-altering decisions—ranging from job applications and credit scores to healthcare and criminal justice—the lack of adequate bias testing and long-term impact assessments becomes a profound concern.
According to Grecu, without deliberate intervention, AI will inherently optimize for metrics such as efficiency, scale, and profit. This inherent drive, she argues, will inevitably neglect abstract ideals like justice, dignity, and democracy, thereby eroding societal trust. She highlights a critical opportunity for regions like Europe to lead by example. ‘If we want AI to serve humans (not just markets) we need to protect and embed European values like human rights, transparency, sustainability, inclusion and fairness at every layer: policy, design, and deployment,’ Grecu explained, advocating for a value-driven approach.
Beyond immediate challenges, Grecu expresses concern over more subtle, long-term risks that are currently receiving insufficient attention, particularly emotional manipulation. As AI systems become more sophisticated in their ability to persuade and influence human emotion, she cautions that society is ill-prepared for the profound implications this holds for personal autonomy. A cornerstone of her philosophy is the belief that technology is not neutral. ‘AI won’t be driven by values, unless we intentionally build them in,’ she warns, dispelling the common misconception that AI merely reflects the world as it is.
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To mitigate these risks and foster ethical AI, Grecu advocates for practical, actionable steps. This involves embedding ethical considerations directly into development workflows through concrete tools such as design checklists, mandatory pre-deployment risk assessments, and the establishment of cross-functional review boards that unite legal, technical, and policy teams. The key, she asserts, is establishing clear ownership at every stage and building transparent, repeatable processes, akin to any other core business function. This pragmatic approach aims to transform ethical AI from an abstract philosophical debate into a series of manageable, everyday tasks, ensuring that AI development aligns with human values and societal well-being.
