The Problem: A System Rigged Against Consumers
Corporations have one primary goal: maximize profits. Everything else—morality, ethics, consumer well-being—takes a backseat. From misleading advertisements to deceptive pricing, from corner-cutting in product quality to outright exploitation, corporations consistently prioritise shareholder value over the very consumers who sustain their revenue.
Governments, meant to act as regulators, often fail us. Corporations lobby, manipulate, and push their interests, creating a rigged system where the consumer is nothing more than a walking revenue stream. But what if we had a tool to level the playing field? What if we had an independent system that holds corporations accountable for their actions?
Failed Attempts at Corporate Regulation
Governments around the world have attempted various forms of corporate oversight—from consumer protection laws to environmental regulations. While some measures have led to small victories, such as banning misleading advertising or enforcing fair-trade practices, many of these efforts have fallen short due to loopholes, weak enforcement, and corporate lobbying. Tax regulations are one glaring example. Some of the world’s wealthiest corporations generate billions in revenue yet legally avoid paying taxes, shifting the financial burden onto everyday citizens. Meanwhile, corporate penalties for unethical behavior are often laughably small, allowing companies to treat fines as just another business expense rather than a real deterrent.
The reality is that many corporations operate above the law, exploiting legal gray areas to avoid accountability. Even when regulations exist, they often fail to enforce true ethical business conduct, leaving consumers unprotected. This cycle of corporate greed, regulatory loopholes, and government inaction fuels growing frustration. The question isn’t whether regulation is needed—it’s how to implement a system that actually works.
The Greed That Defines Corporate Power
Not all corporations are unethical, but those who engage in tax avoidance, misleading marketing, and exploitative labor practices damage the integrity of the global economy. Consumers are left footing the bill while corporations grow richer, inflating CEO salaries and shareholder profits at the expense of workers, communities, and the environment. Ethical companies exist, but without proper accountability, their efforts are overshadowed by the dominance of greed-driven competitors.
The question is: how do we ensure ethical businesses thrive while holding exploitative corporations accountable? The answer isn’t more government regulation alone—it’s a transparent, AI-driven system that removes manipulation and bias from corporate evaluations.
Enter the AI Scorecard—an automated, AI-driven rating system that evaluates corporations based on their honesty, ethics, and real-world consumer sentiment.
How the AI Scorecard Works
The AI Scorecard would analyse massive amounts of data, including:
- Consumer reviews and feedback from across the web
- Court cases and legal disputes involving the company
- Advertising practices and marketing language
- Environmental and labor policies
- Past and present corporate behaviour
- Product quality and fulfilment of promises
AI would then assign a three-digit score (CEH) to every company, updating dynamically based on real-world data.
The CEH Score: Breaking It Down
Each company would be rated using a three-number system:
1. Consumer Sentiment (C) – How Do People Feel?
Consumers drive the market, so their opinion matters most. AI will analyse reviews, discussions, and public sentiment to determine how people truly feel about the company.
Example Scores:
- 9 – Consumers love the company and its products
- 5 – Mixed reception; good and bad experiences
- 2 – Poor sentiment; bad customer service, unreliable products
2. Ethics & Responsibility (E) – Does the Company Care?
A company might be loved by consumers, but how does it treat workers, the environment, and society? Ethics & Responsibility measures corporate social responsibility, fair labor practices, sustainability, and compliance with ethical business standards.
Example Scores:
- 9 – Strong ethics, fair wages, eco-conscious, socially responsible
- 4 – Some ethical concerns but not the worst
- 1 – Exploitative, harmful, and irresponsible
3. Honesty (H) – Does the Company Lie?
Honesty measures transparency, truth in advertising, and business integrity. AI will scan lawsuits, deceptive marketing practices, misleading terms and conditions, and whether the company delivers on its promises.
Example Scores:
- 9 – Transparent and honest
- 5 – Some misleading claims, but not outright deceptive
- 2 – Repeated false advertising, shady business practices
Why the Order Matters: CEH vs. HEC
At first, we considered Honesty first (HEC). However, we realised that consumer sentiment is what matters most to the average person.
Imagine two companies:
- CEH Score: 835 → People love them, moderately ethical, fairly honest
- HEC Score: 538 → Honest, but disliked by consumers
In the CEH format, the higher score immediately stands out as better. However, with HEC, a lower number (538) might look better than 835, confusing consumers.
A high first number should always be a good sign. That’s why we put Consumer Sentiment first, followed by Ethics, and finally Honesty.
How the AI Scorecard Could Be Used
The AI Scorecard wouldn’t just sit in a database—it would become a mandatory, legally enforced transparency tool:
- TV Advertisements must display their AI Score at the start and end of ads.
- Product Labels will include the AI Score next to the brand name.
- Websites & Online Stores must show the AI Score on product pages.
- Retail Price Tags (for non-labeled items like fresh food) must include the AI Score.
- Receipts & Invoices will list AI Scores alongside purchased items.
- Company Websites must have an AI Scorecard badge, linking to a detailed AI-generated corporate profile.
What About New Companies or Insufficient Data?
In cases where AI cannot gather enough reliable data, a company will receive a 000 score. It’s also possible to have partially available scores where sufficient and insufficient data coexist. For example ‘060’ or ‘058’. This avoids unfairly penalising startups or businesses with limited public presence.
Once enough data becomes available, AI can update the score accordingly and in real-time.
What About Corporate Manipulation?
Corporations will try to fight back. AI manipulation through fake reviews, bot-generated comments, and media influence could pose a problem. However, AI can defend itself by:
- Cross-referencing legal disputes (court cases cannot be faked).
- Analysing regulatory actions (fines, investigations, ethical violations).
- Detecting fraudulent review patterns (AI can distinguish bot-generated reviews from real ones).
- Tracking long-term trends (short-term PR stunts won’t outweigh years of bad behaviour).
Final Thoughts: A Vision for the Future
The AI Scorecard has the potential to revolutionise corporate accountability. It would empower consumers, reward ethical businesses, and punish exploitative corporations without bias or manipulation.
By exposing deceptive practices and encouraging responsible business ethics, the AI Scorecard could transform the marketplace into a fairer, more transparent, and consumer-driven economy.
It’s time for corporations to be held accountable—not by governments swayed by lobbying, but by an independent, AI-powered system that works for the people.
Next in the Series
Stay tuned for our next post: “Failed Corporate Regulation: The System That Lets Greed Win”, where we’ll explore the manipulative tactics used by giant corporations and why the system is failing us all!
Leave a Comment