When AI Runs the Show: Kartik Hosanagar on How Algorithms Shape Our Daily Choices | Ep 21

​Every swipe, search, and scroll—they aren't as random as they feel. In this eye-opening episode of the IJK Podcast, Imad Jack Karam sits down with Professor Kartik Hosanagar, a thought leader in AI and author of A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence, to uncover just how deeply algorithms influence our lives.

Kartik, a celebrated professor at the Wharton School and Co-Director of Wharton’s Human-AI Research Initiative, has shaped generations of students and ideas. He’s an award-winning teacher and was recognized among the top 40 business professors under 40 worldwide.

Why This Conversation Matters and What We Cover:

• The invisible hand of algorithms: How AI systems steer everything from media recommendations to major decisions—often without us realizing it.
• Ethical reflections: As these tools gain influence, what responsibilities fall on creators, businesses, and policymakers?
• Agency vs. automation: How do we maintain control over our choices when algorithms increasingly curate our world?

What You’ll Gain from the Episode

• Insight into how algorithms—silent, powerful, and omnipresent—shape our behavior and consumption.
• Perspectives on human agency in an algorithm-driven world.
• Practical reflections on how businesses should ethically deploy AI, and what individuals can do to remain conscious consumers of content.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your decisions are really your own—or if you’re curious how AI quietly dictates preferences—this episode offers clarity and challenge in equal measure.

Tune in and discover how algorithms are doing more than just watching us—they’re running the show.