Be warned that this is a controversial area. As a result, it would not be wise to present an agent in human-like structures without also offering a choice to those who would rather not have them. People will be more accepting of intelligent agents if their expectations are consistent with reality. Sometimes one won't even know, as when they arrive in the mail, or are parts of some new set of capabilities being added to the computational system. Privacy Privacy could be considered a subset of the sense of control, but because the technical and social implications are considerably different, it deserves its own special consideration.
Privacy is a complex topic, one deeply rooted in human cultural and legal systems.
The concerns for privacy within the United States are not necessarily mirrored in the rest of the world, nor for that matter, even in the prior history of the United States. Citizens do not trust their fellow citizens, industry, police, or government to use information about their activities in legitimate, beneficial ways. Business feels it can be more efficient and helpful the more information it has about the desires and behavior of its customers. Not all the need for privacy is to avoid the detection of wrong-doing. White lies and other deceptions are an essential, positive aspect of social interaction, allowing for smoother, friendlier social discourse.