This introductory chapter provides a foundational lens for the themes explored in an edited book centered on business economics, investigating the connection between Artificial Intelligence (AI), the data economy, and behavioral intention. In an era defined by digital platforms, cognitive automation, and global data flows, AI-driven insights are reshaping economic value creation and human behaviors, decision-making, and cognition. Concepts such as the intention economy, digital psychographics, advanced behavioral retargeting, and emotion pattern recognition reveal how data-centric strategies influence user behaviors, potentially distorting autonomy, privacy, and equitable access to information. The chapter addresses emergent frameworks and tools that attempt to balance economic innovation with robust data protection and accountability. It also examines how hyper-personalized services, social listening, and predictive churn analyses raise complex ethical questions for businesses aiming to harness AI’s capabilities responsibly. This chapter sets the stage for the book’s broader discussion through an interdisciplinary lens, arguing that AI towards beneficial social and economic outcomes requires inclusive governance, proactive ethics integration, and international collaboration. This chapter and the present edited book highlight potential pathways to align future technological developments with human-centered values, ensuring that data-driven economies bolster, rather than undermine, meaningful human behavior and sustainable business practices.