Taking Back Control: How AI Can Help You Beat Online Algorithms

How Platform Algorithms Work

Think about how you use the internet. Every time you click on something, watch a video, or search for information, algorithms are watching. They use this information to guess what you want to see next.

Here’s an example: let’s say you watch a lot of cat videos (because who doesn’t love cats?). The algorithm might think, “This person loves cats!” and start showing you only cat videos. Even if you’re also interested in dogs, birds, or taking cool pet photos, the algorithm might not show you these things. It’s like wearing blinders that only let you see cat content.

This creates what experts call a “filter bubble.” You end up seeing only things that match what you’ve clicked on before. Even worse, you might only see opinions that you already agree with, missing out on different viewpoints and new ideas.

How AI Can Help You Break Free

This is where AI comes to the rescue! Unlike regular algorithms that just copy your past choices, AI can help you discover new things you might like. It’s smarter about understanding what you’re really interested in, not just what you’ve clicked on before.

Going back to our cat video example, AI might notice that you’re interested in animals in general, not just cats. It might suggest videos about wildlife photography, tips for pet care, or even fun ways to take amazing photos of your own pets. AI helps you break out of that cat-video bubble and explore more of what the internet has to offer.

Here’s a cool way some people are using AI to beat information overload: imagine having your own personal AI helper that reads all your favorite newsletters and listens to your podcasts for you. Using free AI tools like Ollama and Flowise, you can create a system that:

• Collects all your daily newsletters and podcast transcripts
• Uses AI to read through everything and pick out the most important parts
• Creates short, easy-to-understand summaries of each article and episode
• Detect AI generated content and give it lower priority.
• Combines all these summaries into a short audio message
• Sends this audio straight to your phone through Telegram

It’s like having a super-smart friend who reads everything for you and tells you just the important stuff in a quick 3-5 minute message. Instead of being overwhelmed by too much information or stuck in what algorithms think you should see, you get to hear about all kinds of different topics that matter to you.

Take Control of Your Online World

Big tech companies shouldn’t be the only ones with powerful AI tools. Thanks to free, open-source AI software that can run on your own computer, you can start taking control of your digital life today. Instead of letting platform algorithms decide what you see, you can create your own AI assistants that work for you, not for advertisers.

Start small – maybe set up an AI helper to read your favorite news sites and summarize them just the way you like. Or create one that helps organize your personal notes and files in ways that make sense to you. The best part? All of this happens on your computer, using your personal AI, so your private information stays private.

Remember, you don’t have to be a tech expert to get started. There are friendly communities online sharing tips and tutorials about running your own AI tools. Each small step you take with personal AI helps you break free from the usual platform algorithms that try to keep you clicking the same things over and over.

Next time you’re online, instead of just accepting what algorithms show you, think about how you could use AI to see things your way. Maybe try setting up your first personal AI assistant – you might be surprised at how much more control you feel over your online experience!