The Impact of Algorithms on Intimacy

The podcast episode explores the digital revolution in personal relationships brought about by algorithmic intimacy. The guest, Anthony Elliott, discusses how artificial intelligence is not only reshaping organizations and institutions but also deeply impacting identities, intimacies, and personal lives. Algorithmic intimacy entails outsourcing parts of ourselves, particularly emotional lives, to machine intelligence. This leads to the modeling and remodeling of intimate relationships as algorithms work within us to solve intimate dilemmas and create new ones. The increasing influence of predictive algorithms on intimacy redefines the meaning of intimacy, sexuality, and eroticism, moving towards a more fluid and connection-based concept, driven by recommendations rather than genuine human connection.