The All-Seeing Eye
AI’s tightrope between generalization and personalization
Following a mildly rough crayfish party (Swedish tradition), I opened up Facebook and saw an ad for testosterone boosters. The ad was first obtrusive and also a bit of a downer as the first thing that greets me in the morning. The timing was uncanny; just the previous evening, in the middle of a cheer, someone brought up a conversation (it was me) about the gradual decrease of testosterone with age, especially post 40 (yes, a depressing topic). The irony wasn’t lost: while natural aging might reduce testosterone levels, this was a reminder that one beer can also spike estrogen levels.
When data is collected, our online experiences often feel intensely personal — almost as if services are eavesdropping on our private conversations. Sometimes, it’s as if the AI sees you merely as a demographic, say 35–44 years old, while other times it feels strikingly personal. It is predicting what I want before I reflect and consider what I really need.
Predictive choreography of AI
AI services excel at analyzing vast amount of data across various sources and formats, and their real strength lies in predicting our next move, and in this anticipation lies the essence of hyper-personalization.
AI-narrative and human desire
Going further down this rabbit hole, we see AI creating narratives from our digital footprints, crafting ads that don’t just target our obvious preferences, but also appeal to our deeper, latent desires. Could this be the future of AI-driven marketing? An omni-digital stage, perhaps also multimodal where ads are playing out a drama that is voicing our life, dreams and fears?
The weight of power
With great power comes great scrutiny. What price do we pay for this hyper-personalized experience? Our data? Our privacy? Ourselves? Or something even more intangible — a unknown discovery or loss? You might end up with nothing but AI as a content-creator more or less.
It is exciting to sketch out the future map, and companies are slowly beginning to integrate generative AI into their offer and way of working. We might engage in conversations with AI with tailored content based on real-time feedback from our biometric data and emotional state, tapping into our memories and personal narratives. But, our focus should not just be on tech advancements, but on ethical implications. In this AI-driven race, the unpredictable beautiful chaos of human life should remain intact.
