What do 'that process' and 'it' refer in this paragraph?

[blwings]

“It’s quite scary to think how these models can manipulate people’s behaviour,” he says. “With Cambridge Analytica the scandal was really about misuse of data. We’re not there yet, but when you have self-learning models that can automate that process, that automation puts it in a different category. We need to look at our value structures, so that when we use the technology we are using the tools to do things we want to do.”

This is from Richard Chataway's book The Behaviour Business, and I found this part is kind of confusing. Do bolded 'that process' and 'it' refer manipulating people’s behaviour?

 

[Tarheel]

I think that process refers to thinking. That is, when they use the models they don't have to do any thinking. I'm lost after that. That is, I don't know what it refers to nor do I know what category could be intended.

 

[Alexey86]

I think that process refers to the process of using data, and it refers to data. Data can be misused by putting it in a different (wrong) category.

 

[tedmc]

“It’s quite scary to think how these models can manipulate people’s behaviour,” he says. “With Cambridge Analytica the scandal was really about misuse of data. We’re not there yet, but when you have self-learning models that can automate that process, that automation puts it in a different category. We need to look at our value structures, so that when we use the technology we are using the tools to do things we want to do.”

This is from Richard Chataway's book The Behaviour Business, and I found this part is kind of confusing. Do bolded 'that process' and 'it' refer manipulating people’s behaviour?

Yes, I agree with you that "manipulate people's behaviour", "misusing data", "that process" and "it" (underlined above) refer to the same thing. Misusing data is a means to an end (manipulate people's behaviour).

 

[Tarheel]

I think it's the whole purpose of the models to manipulate people's behavior.