It’s funny how quickly things become…expected. I remember a time when music discovery meant hours spent in record stores, flipping through vinyl. Now? My streaming service just knows. Not always perfectly, mind you, but often eerily so. That’s the quiet revolution of AI-powered personalization at work, subtly reshaping the rhythm of everyday life.

It’s more than just music though. Think about the news you see, the products suggested online, even the routes your navigation app chooses. Algorithms are constantly learning our preferences, anticipating needs we didn’t even articulate. It feels a little like having a digital shadow, one that’s remarkably good at predicting what we’ll like.

There’s a comfort in that, a sense of being understood. But also a slight unease. Are we losing something when experiences are curated to such a degree? When serendipity—stumbling upon something unexpected—becomes less frequent? I find myself occasionally clearing my browsing history, just to throw the system off, to see what unfiltered options exist.

I recently rewatched a movie I hadn’t thought about in years, prompted by a ‘because you watched this’ suggestion. It was a lovely surprise, a reminder of a simpler time. But it also made me wonder if I’d have ever rediscovered it without that nudge. Is personalization a helpful guide or a gentle cage? Perhaps it’s both, and the key is finding a balance—embracing the convenience while actively seeking out the unexpected. It’s a new kind of literacy, learning to navigate a world increasingly tailored to ‘me’, and remembering to occasionally look beyond the algorithm.