How Artificial Intelligence Shapes How We Think, Act, and Connect

We are in the middle of a digital transformation. Despite the headlines, the biggest issues are not TikTok’s survival, screen time, or cell phone bans. These are just symptoms of a deeper cultural shift—one driven by the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI). AI is a game-changer because, unlike previous technologies, we can’t always see where it is or what it’s doing. AI literacy—a central part of digital literacy–is essential. We must be informed, critical, and capable of making decisions in a world increasingly shaped by AI.

AI: Now You See It, Now You Don’t

AI is the elephant in the room, often invisible but profoundly influential. It’s embedded in our daily lives—from social media algorithms and online shopping recommendations to virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa. Nearly 70 percent of U.S. teenagers actively use AI tools like Snap’s MyAI and ChatGPT (Hart Research, 2023). And why wouldn’t they? AI-powered tools provide help with writing, research, brainstorming, and organization—and so much more.

Companies like Tesla use AI-driven robots in assembly lines to improve speed and precision, reducing production costs. IBM’s Watson is one of the AI-powered diagnostic tools that assist doctors in identifying diseases or analyzing medical imaging. A study by Rand found that 18 percent of teachers polled used AI to help generate classroom assignments or worksheets and lesson plans, supplement their own instructional materials, and adapt instructional content to fit the level of their students (Diliberti et al., 2024). Personalization helps you weed through all the choices on Netflix to find content you want to see. The AI-enabled Starbucks app sends you rewards tailored to what you like to order.

AI has also revolutionized creative industries, generating digital art, animations, music, and even book content. In the 2023 film, “The Frost,” the filmmakers used prompts to generate stunning and surreal landscapes that would have been costly or impossible with traditional methods (Heaven, 2023).

AI can do extraordinary things to increase efficiency and accessibility, but its most profound impact is far stealthier. While AI is obvious in tools like ChatGPT, it is not immediately apparent in news feeds, product recommendations, and search engines. Unseen algorithms respond to user behavior, creating hyperpersonalized experiences that identify user preferences within seconds, deliver content with unprecedented precision, and provide interactive experiences that take advantage of the human needs for newness, agency, and social validation. In doing so, they can influence decisions, beliefs, and behaviors with the user none-the-wiser.

How AI Influences Social Behaviors

AI is more than just another tech tool. AI’s ability to work behind the scenes and mimic human thought processes can blur ethical lines, especially when it comes to tasks like schoolwork or content ownership. As AI becomes more integrated, concerns about misinformation, manipulation, and loss of personal agency will grow. AI is reshaping how we interact, make decisions, and even think about core issues like trust.

1. AI Redefines Social Interactions

Social media algorithms, powered by AI, prioritize content based on engagement. Each platform has its own formula—watch time on TikTok and YouTube, meaningful interactions on Facebook, and interest-based ranking on Instagram. These AI-driven feeds influence trends, beliefs, and behaviors in subtle but powerful ways:

• Reinforcing confirmation bias: AI continuously feeds users content that aligns with their existing beliefs, creating echo chambers.
• Amplifying emotional content: Sensational or emotionally charged posts receive more engagement, encouraging platforms to push them to more users.
• Prioritizing virality over accuracy: AI often favors extreme or misleading content if it maximizes clicks, shares, and user interaction.

2. AI Shapes Consumer Decisions

AI doesn’t need traditional persuasion tactics to shape buying behavior—it does it through data-driven personalization.

• Curating recommendations: AI suggests products and entertainment based on past interactions, subtly guiding choices.
• Using dynamic pricing: AI adjusts prices based on demand and browsing history, leveraging limited-time offers that exploit our FOMO (fear of missing out) to steer consumer decisions in real time.
• Employing subtle “nudges”: Design elements like notifications influence choices and encourage purchases.

3. AI Changes How We Form Opinions

AI mediates information flow, activating social cues around trust and decision-making that change how we form beliefs and evaluate credibility.

• Activating social proof: “Trending now” and “Liked by your friends” signals make certain content appear more popular, trustworthy, and relevant.
• Amplifying misinformation: AI prioritizes content that gets high engagement, which can increase the spread and perceived legitimacy of misleading information.
• Influencing beliefs subconsciously: AI shapes reality by filtering what gets repeated, creating echo chambers. The more we see an idea repeated, the more we’re likely to accept it as true.

If AI’s So Powerful, What Can We Do?

To navigate AI’s persuasive power, we need to be proactive rather than passive consumers of technology.

1. Build awareness: Understand how algorithms shape decision-making and recognize when persuasion is at play.
2. Develop digital literacy: Teach critical thinking about AI’s role in shaping content and engagement, especially to children and young adults.
3. Push for transparency: Advocate for platforms to disclose how their algorithms prioritize and filter information.

AI shapes how we interact, shop, and think—sometimes in ways we don’t notice. By understanding its role and impact, we can engage with AI intentionally rather than being unconsciously influenced by its unseen forces.