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On this episode of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael speaks with acclaimed journalist and author Jacob Ward, former NBC News technology correspondent and author of The Loop: How AI Is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight Back. Ward lays out his thesis that commercial AI is quietly reshaping human decision-making—much like GPS rewired our sense of direction—by exploiting the shortcuts and biases built into our brains.

We explore Ward’s early research into algorithmic influence, how his work anticipated today’s conversations around “AI psychosis,” and why the public’s psychological relationship with these systems is becoming increasingly unstable. The conversation also dives into the emerging “AI hivemind” problem: the risk that large-scale, widely adopted AI systems may compress human culture and thought into homogenized patterns, narrowing the diversity of choices, perspectives, and creative possibilities.

Ward offers concrete insights on what institutions can do to safeguard human autonomy, what individuals can do to resist passive decision-outsourcing, and what the next five years of AI development might bring—both the dangers and the opportunities.

A deep, challenging look at the intersection of technology, psychology, and human agency—exactly the kind of perspective you expect from Parallax Views.