Ziqi Zhong, a PhD candidate in Marketing at the London School of Economics (LSE), has launched an AI-powered platform that helps companies evaluate and improve how they communicate privacy policies to consumers. The tool, named PrivaAI, aims to bridge the gap between regulatory compliance, user perception, competitive positioning, and environmental responsibility.
Image: System architecture of PrivaAI
Designed for use by legal teams, marketing departments, and product managers, PrivaAI scores privacy policies across eight dimensions—including clarity, transparency, tone, user control, fairness, sustainability, and perceived value exchange—from a human-centered perspective. Rather than relying solely on legal checklists, the system uses fine-tuned language models and real behavioral data to simulate how consumers perceive the policies they’re asked to accept.
“Privacy policy design is often treated as a compliance box,” Zhong explains. “But in reality, the way people emotionally and cognitively respond to privacy language can affect their trust, brand loyalty, and even conversion.”
Backed by empirical research and experimental data, PrivaAI is more than a compliance tool—it’s a strategic asset. Zhong’s studies show that companies using empowering, transparent language in their policies experience significantly greater trust and engagement from users. His framework, developed as part of his doctoral research, includes behavioral experiments using eye-tracking and emotion detection to isolate what users care most about when reading privacy policies.
“We discovered that people care most about fairness, control, and the ability to understand policies quickly,” says Zhong. “Even subtle changes in wording can make a big difference.”
Underpinning PrivaAI is a formal economic model developed by Zhong to evaluate the trade-offs companies face in adopting more sustainable data strategies. The model simulates how different approaches to privacy communication—ranging from minimalist, opaque language to detailed, user-friendly disclosures—impact consumer behavior, perceived brand trust, and long-term profitability. The findings indicate that companies can realize tangible returns by prioritizing transparency and user control.
“The model shows that building user trust isn’t just a feel-good story—it has real economic upside,” Zhong says. “In many cases, the long-term value of transparency outweighs the short-term cost of revising communication strategies.”
PrivaAI is also designed for industry benchmarking. The platform can generate cross-sectoral distributional reports, helping businesses understand how their policies compare to others in their field. Whether it’s fintech, healthcare, e-commerce, or gaming, companies can see where they stand relative to competitors in terms of perceived transparency, ethical tone, and user empowerment. This gives teams the data to not only improve their own messaging but to monitor privacy communication as a competitive advantage.
“PrivaAI gives you a map of the landscape,” Zhong explains. “You’re not just optimizing in isolation. You can see how consumers react to your peers, to leaders in the space, and to industry trends.”
Zhong’s approach also addresses a growing concern in the digital economy: sustainability. With cloud services now generating more carbon emissions than the airline industry, and individual data centers consuming electricity on par with tens of thousands of homes, Zhong argues that more transparent privacy communication can support better data practices—and reduce unnecessary data collection.
“If users understand and trust your data policy, you don’t need to over-collect,” he says. “That helps both the planet and the business.”
Developed as part of his job market paper, PrivaAI is the product of Zhong’s interdisciplinary research across marketing, behavioral economics, and machine learning. His academic training includes doctoral work at LSE and coursework at London Business School and Imperial College London.
The project has already been featured at leading conferences, including the American Marketing Association Annual Conference (AMA), the European Marketing Academy Conference (EMAC), and the INFORMS Marketing Science Conference (ISMS).
Zhong’s work has also received international recognition. He was recently appointed Visiting Professor at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE) in China, where he contributes to curriculum development in responsible AI, data ethics, and digital sustainability.
“With PrivaAI, my goal is to show that data privacy doesn’t have to be cold or technical,” Zhong concludes. “It can be human-centered, trust-building, and even environmentally meaningful.”
More information can be found at zzhong.io.
Media ContactContact Person: Ziqi ZhongEmail: Send EmailCountry: ChinaWebsite: https://zzhong.io
