Machines and manipulation

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Every generation has its inventions.

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.

Many young people believe they are entrepreneurs because they sell products or services online. However, what they do not understand is that they are simply changing their employment and are now working for social media platforms as their new employers. Slaving under the spell and command of the algorithms instead of a boss, they have learned to loathe and criticize.

Then came the economic side of AI – a far more sobering discussion.

While AI creates convenience, it also creates concentration. Ten tech giants now account for more than half of the global market capitalization. They build the platforms, own the data, and lease the intelligence.

The rest of us? We’re the users, the data sources, or the entertained.

Some experts warn that this is not innovation; it’s feudalism with faster Wi-Fi.

We once celebrated capitalism for rewarding creativity and risk-taking. But today’s digital economy often rewards scale and surveillance instead.

The small business owner can’t compete with an algorithm that knows their customer better than they do.

So while the world celebrates AI breakthroughs, the truth is that economic power narrows – and social trust thins.

And in the midst of it all comes what is now known as “The Epidemic of Loneliness.”

In all this noise, people feel more alone.

Data shows that young men, especially, are retreating from real relationships and meaningful work. One WOBI speaker called it “a generation of young people raised online but starving for connection.”

We live surrounded by “friends” but devoid of friendship.

We share everything but reveal nothing.

We are informed but rarely transformed.

AI can simulate empathy, even generate “compassionate” responses.

But it cannot care. It cannot listen between the lines.

It cannot sit in silence with you.

Technology may make us efficient – but it does not make us whole.

Progress with a pulse

Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not anti-technology.

I write columns on my workstation, prepare lessons on my iPad, communicate through apps, post thoughts and reflections every day on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, and my blog page – and yes, sometimes even let AI help outline my ideas.

But the keyword is help.

The moment the tool starts thinking for you, it ceases to be a tool.

AI is meant to assist human wisdom – not replace it.

But wisdom requires reflection, and reflection demands quiet – something our digital lives rarely offer anymore.

We cannot automate meaning.

We cannot outsource our humanity.

We cannot download purpose.

So where do we go from here?

Maybe it starts small – just like James Clear’s “one percent better” philosophy from another WOBI session I attended.

Perhaps we reclaim our attention one percent at a time.

We put down the phone at dinner.

We talk to a friend without checking notifications.

We read something that doesn’t glow.

Because the danger isn’t that machines will become more human.

It’s that humans will become more machine-like – efficient, reactive, and emotionally flat.

The age of AI doesn’t demand that we outsmart technology.

It calls us to out-human it.

In the end, the real intelligence that matters isn’t artificial – it’s authentic.

And that, my friends, is still something no algorithm can replicate.

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Catch Kongversations with Francis on YouTube and all major podcast platforms – Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more. Plus, listen to Inspiring Excellence wherever you stream.