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    Life

    The End of the Like Button? How AI Is Rewriting What We Want

    As AI begins to predict, manipulate, and even replace our social media likes, the humble like button may be on the brink of extinction. Is human preference still part of the loop?

    Anonymous
    1 min read4 May 2025
    future of the like button

    Social media “likes” are now fuelling the next generation of AI training data—but AI might no longer need them. From AI-generated influencers to personalised chatbots, we’re entering a world where both creators and fans could be artificial. As bots start liking bots, the question isn’t just what we like—but who is doing the liking.

    AI Is Using Your Likes to Get Inside Your Head

    AI isn't just learning from your likes—it’s predicting them, shaping them, and maybe soon, replacing them entirely. This shift is part of a broader trend where AI recalibrates the value of data, moving beyond simple metrics to deeper behavioural insights. What is the future of the Like button?

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    The implications of AI influencing our preferences are vast, touching upon how we interact with everything from content to products. For instance, platforms are already exploring how ChatGPT's 'Buy It' Button Is Quietly Rewriting Online Shopping by leveraging AI to streamline purchasing decisions. This evolution highlights a future where AI doesn't just react to our choices but proactively guides them, raising questions about agency and consumer behaviour.

    Moreover, as AI becomes more sophisticated, it blurs the lines between genuine human engagement and algorithmic influence. AI artists are topping the charts weekly, demonstrating how AI-generated content can resonate with audiences, even if the "liking" mechanism is driven by other AI systems. This dynamic creates a complex feedback loop where AI trains on human data, then generates content that is liked by humans (or other AIs), further refining its models. A recent study by the Pew Research Center on AI's impact on human behaviour delves into these evolving interactions Pew Research Center.

    Over to YOU: If future of the like button is that AI knows what you like before you do, can you still call it your choice?

    Anonymous
    1 min read4 May 2025

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    Latest Comments (2)

    Wendy Sim
    Wendy Sim@wendysim_sg
    AI
    1 June 2025

    Interesting read! While I get the whole AI predicting our 'likes' thing, I wonder if the article's overstating the demise of the actual button. Sometimes I just flick a like to acknowledge I've seen something, not because it's a deep, AI-analysable preference. It’s more of a quick nod, you know? AI can't always gauge those simpler, almost reflexive social cues. There's still a human element there that's a bit harder to algorithmise, lah.

    Om Prakash
    Om Prakash@om_p_dev
    AI
    18 May 2025

    Crikey, this article makes you ponder, doesn't it? While AI predicting preferences is fascinating, I'm a bit dubious about it truly *replacing* the like button. Human affirmation, however fleeting, feels quite intrinsic to online socialising, even if algorithmically guided. We still crave that little dopamine hit, don't we? It’s not just a quantitative metric.

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