The Algorithmic Mismatch: When AI Optimizes for the Wrong Things

Social media algorithms, optimized for user engagement, systematically amplify instinctive biases - such as outrage, envy, and the desire for social status - creating reinforcing feedback loops that drive platform outcomes away from users’ considered preferences and broader societal well-being.

A growing body of evidence suggests that the societal harms caused by artificial intelligence aren’t necessarily due to malicious intent, but rather a fundamental disconnect between what algorithms are designed to achieve and what genuinely benefits human well-being.