Human brains are easily hackable (a good book does it, or a good brainwasher), we change our views easily given the right “argument”, logical and/or emotional. Anything smarter than us can figure out a way to get us what it wants us to do without anything like a “trade”, but because we think it’s the right thing to do. If you doubt it, note that EA did a good job of convincing people to donate to charity. The military is an even more extreme example. The best con does not feel like a con at all. (Not saying that either of the two examples is a con, just that we cannot tell a good cause from a bad cause apart when we are sufficiently brainwashed.)
For an ant analogy, spray some pheromones to where you need them to go, without any reward.
Human brains are easily hackable (a good book does it, or a good brainwasher), we change our views easily given the right “argument”, logical and/or emotional. Anything smarter than us can figure out a way to get us what it wants us to do without anything like a “trade”, but because we think it’s the right thing to do. If you doubt it, note that EA did a good job of convincing people to donate to charity. The military is an even more extreme example. The best con does not feel like a con at all. (Not saying that either of the two examples is a con, just that we cannot tell a good cause from a bad cause apart when we are sufficiently brainwashed.)
For an ant analogy, spray some pheromones to where you need them to go, without any reward.