LANDMARK · 5 MIN · ORIENT
The AI already around you
After this landmark, you can spot the AI systems already shaping your day and ask what each one is optimising for.
The most consequential AI in your life usually isn’t the one you talk to. It’s the ranking that chooses your feed, the filter that sorts your email, the recommendation that suggests what to watch or buy, the system that scores a loan or screens a résumé. These are invisible precisely because they work smoothly — and each is optimising for something (engagement, clicks, risk) that may not be your interest.
This is the canonical concept. It stays the same across learner lenses so personalization never changes the underlying facts.
◌ EVERYDAY LENS
What this looks like for you
When a feed feels compelling or a recommendation feels uncanny, ask what it’s optimising for. “Keep me watching” and “help me” are different goals, and the system was built for one of them.
MAKE A DECISION
Your social feed keeps showing you outrage-inducing posts. What’s the most useful way to understand this?
CARRY THISList three AI systems that shaped your day without a chat box. Note what each was optimising for.