Possible Our AI blindspot: incentives over intentions
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Nov 19, 2025 
Join Aza Raskin, a technologist and designer renowned for his work on user engagement, as he critiques the intersection of AI and social media. He discusses how tech can exploit human behavior and emphasizes that incentives often overshadow intentions. Raskin warns about the psychological depth AI will target and argues for treating tech platforms as fiduciaries. With insights on engagement risks for children and the need for regulation, he offers a hopeful vision for aligned collective intelligence and actionable steps for a better future.
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Engagement Changes People, Not Just Metrics
- Software that optimizes engagement reshapes who we become from the inside out.
- When companies optimize engagement they monetize changes in our behavior and values, not just attention.
Starlink Changed An Uncontacted Tribe Quickly
- Aza described Starlink and phones introduced to an uncontacted Amazon tribe.
- Within weeks kids stopped hunting and needed phone-free time to prevent starvation.
AI Shifts The Race From Eyeballs To Intimacy
- Engagement incentives escalate from eyeballs to intimacy as AI advances.
- Capitalism pulls private human time and intimacy into the market as tech better models us.
