Machines and manipulation

Every generation has its inventions.

- FRANCIS J. KONG

But ours as well, ours invented something that now invents us.

At this year’s WOBI New York, several speakers painted a picture both astonishing and alarming: a world where artificial intelligence doesn’t just serve us — it shapes us.

We've entered an era where algorithms not only predict what we want but quietly persuade us to want it. One speaker compared TikTok to a “behavioral drug disguised as entertainment.” It’s hard to argue with that.

The app’s genius lies not in what it shows you, but in what it withholds. Endless scroll. Quick dopamine. No finish line.

That’s not technology; that’s psychology - with code.

There is now what is called “the illusion of choice.”

We once believed the internet would democratize opportunity and give every voice a chance.

But somewhere along the way, it turned into an attention casino where the house always wins.

AI now decides who gets noticed, who gets muted, what trends, and what disappears. And while we think we're scrolling freely, our choices have been pre-filtered, optimized, and monetized long before our thumbs moved.

As one analyst quipped at WOBI, “The algorithm doesn’t care what you watch. It only cares that you keep watching.”

And we keep watching - until time blurs, focus fades, and real conversations feel inconvenient.