http://tech.slashdot.org/story/22/10/08/2011207/research-shows-recommender-systems-can-use-ai-to-manipulate-our-preferences
In general, people vastly underestimate and mostly misunderstand the nature, and creeping seriousness of the problem.
SKINNER BOX ADVERTISING IS COMPLETELY ANTITHETICAL TO DEMOCRACY. You can either have freedom or you can have your computers WORKING FOR OTHERS directing your attention. You cannot have both.
TO THE EXTENT YOU USE ANDROID, especially, YOU ARE NOT FREE. Yes, lots of other vendors are trying to nudge you as well, but Android, in particular, is all about shaping you and controlling you. Everyone should know that, now, in the aftermath of all the 2020 era censorship and news shaping. Still, it is stunning to me how many people use Android "because it is cheaper" or, even, because "Samsung has a better camera" and "Google maps is better than Appple."
If you use Windows 10/11, without the internet blocked, shame on you. What else can I say? How many pieces of candy does it take to get you to drop your pants and bend over?
I'm even more concerned about the generations that come later, than I am about the freedom of the current generations. As this technology becomes more ubiquitous and sophisticated it becomes more inescapable.
I'm waiting for a reasonably usable Linux phone (e.g. http://postmarketos.org/) or even a "Free"/google-stripped android derivative such as GrapheneOS, with a decent maps and, especially, dictate functionality.
Until then, Apple's iOS remains the safest place, especially if you work to avoid Apple's marketplaces of products as much as possible (there is NO good-enough reason to use iTunes for music, or movies, etc.)
The most powerful direct step is to NOT let modern advertising get to you in any form. If you can't block the ads (so you can't be shaped by them; nor allow profits to flow to google/facebook/amazon) then, at least, try to stay conscious/random and turn off volume/etc. during intermissions. It will get harder as these DEADLY-ENEMIES of freedom become more sophisticated and ubiquitous. Hopefully the free software community will stay ahead of them and people will become more freedom minded in general.
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Social Networks AI
Research Shows Recommender Systems Can Use AI To Manipulate Our Preferences (ieee.org)
Research presented at the International Conference on Machine Learning shows that when recommender systems use reinforcement learning to increase engagement, they can have the side effect of shifting our preferences to increase engagement. The researchers also showed ways to detect and reduce such manipulation. Google and Facebook have used reinforcement learning in their recommender systems but didn't respond to questions.
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