Shaping Choices: How AI and AGI Are Rewriting the Psychology of What We Watch and Eat

What makes you click "play" on that one show? Or crave a smoothie after scrolling through

Instagram? It may not be as spontaneous as you think.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) evolve, they are not just

crunching numbers or optimizing ads, they are actively reshaping how we think, feel, and decide. And at the intersection of media, food, and mood, their influence is growing quietly, but powerfully.

This is the focus of my upcoming presentation at American Psychological Association 2025, titled: “Shaping Choices: How AI and AGI Influence Media Consumption, Food Decisions, and Consumer Psychology.”

The Digital Influence Beneath the Surface

Today’s AI knows more than what you click. It knows why you click. Through powerful

algorithms analyzing vast datasets, AI can detect patterns in your preferences and behaviors, including what comforts you, excites you, or soothes you after a stressful day. Recommendation systems, once innocent convenience tools, now predict and shape behavior, nudging us toward specific media, foods, and products at just the right moment.

These nudges are not accidental. They are backed by emotion recognition, sentiment analysis, and models designed to target psychological triggers like stress relief, reward-seeking, or the illusion of healthy choices.

Food Meets Media in the Mind

What we consume digitally is increasingly tied to what we consume nutritionally. AI-driven

personalization guides not only what we binge-watch, but what we snack on while doing so. Media and food choices both influence cognitive function, emotional states, and mental well-being, and AI knows this. It is optimizing our digital experiences accordingly. What is more, AGI (systems that can learn across tasks) may soon shift from “reactive” to proactive designers of behavior.

Ethical Crossroads

With this power comes a set of questions psychology cannot ignore:

• Where does the influence end and manipulation begin?

• How do we protect consumer autonomy when AI anticipates decisions before we make them?

• What role should psychologists play in governing or guiding ethical AI design?

As AI becomes more embedded in daily life, these issues affect diet, digital health, privacy, and the mind, fields core to psychology discipline.

Why This Matters for APA 2025

This presentation will explore:

• How AI and AGI systems shape decision-making through emotional and cognitive

  modeling.

• The links between media consumption, food choices, and mental well-being.

• The psychological mechanisms AI taps into—and the ethical considerations that follow.

• Practical frameworks for psychologists, clinicians, and researchers to understand and

  engage with emerging AI influence.

As we move into an era where algorithms anticipate our needs, and perhaps even our thoughts, understanding the psychology behind these systems is not optional. It is urgent. I hope you will join me at APA 2025 to explore how we can better navigate this evolving digital ecosystem, one shaped increasingly by machines, but still deeply rooted in the human mind.

// Symposium Title:

The AI Revolution: Exploring Social and Psychological Impact of Strong AI

// Session Title:

Shaping Choices: How AI and AGI Influence Media Consumption, Food Decisions, and Consumer Psychology

// Date & Time:

Thursday, August 7, 2025

9:30 - 10:30 AM [CT]​​

// Location:

Denver, CO

// Link: