Future of Intent

Choice has long been understood as a defining feature of human agency. To choose is to express intention, preference, and identity. Yet as digital systems become more predictive, adaptive, and autonomous, the nature of choice itself is changing. Increasingly, decisions are anticipated before they are consciously made, and options are shaped before they are perceived….

It can be unsettling to encounter a system that seems to understand your next move before you consciously decide it yourself. Yet this experience has become increasingly common. From content recommendations and search suggestions to navigation and purchasing prompts, machines routinely anticipate human behavior with remarkable accuracy. These predictions are not based on intuition or…