# Machines Will Design Media to Induce Human Spending by Douglas Rushkoff > “We have taught our machines to conduct propaganda. Web sites and other media are designed to be "sticky," using any means necessary to maintain our attention. Computers are programmed to stimulate Pavlovian responses from human beings, using techniques like one-to-one marketing, collaborative filtering, and hypnotic information architecture. Computers then record our responses in order to refine these techniques, automatically and without the need for human intervention. The only metrics used to measure the success of banner ads and web sites is the amount of economic activity - consumption and production - they are able to stimulate in their human user/subjects. As a result, the future content and structure of media will be designed by machines with no priority other than to induce spending.” > **— Douglas Rushkoff**, *2000, Edge Annual Question, “WHAT IS TODAY'S MOST IMPORTANT UNREPORTED STORY?”* ## Sources and Context - **Direct Edge response and surrounding essay:** [America's Descent Into Computer-Aided Unconsciousness And Consumer Fascism](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11921) — Edge published this exact, continuous passage in its 2000 Annual Question collection, *WHAT IS TODAY'S MOST IMPORTANT UNREPORTED STORY?*. The response page preserves the surrounding argument and qualifications. - **Complete local collection index:** [[research/Edge 2000 Full Quotation Curation|Edge 2000 Full Quotation Curation]] — retained source-first record for the response cohort and this passage's promotion status. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Article:** [[articles/Modern Artificial Intelligence in the 1970s|AI in the 1970s]] - **Article:** [[articles/Christopher Nolan's Odyssey at the Threshold of Machine Succession|Nolan's Odyssey]] - **Article:** [[articles/Cyber-Physical Lessons from Imperial Beekeeping|Cyber-Physical Beekeeping]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Artificial Intelligence|Artificial Intelligence]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Artificial Intelligence|Artificial Intelligence]] - [[wiki/Algorithmic Governance|Algorithmic Governance]] - [[wiki/Cybernetic Control|Cybernetic Control]] - [[wiki/Information Warfare|Information Warfare]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “We have taught our machines to conduct propaganda. Web sites and other media are designed to be "sticky," using any means necessary to maintain our attention. Computers are programmed to stimulate Pavlovian responses from human beings, using techniques like one-to-one marketing, collaborative filtering, and hypnotic information architecture. Computers then record our responses in order to refine these techniques, automatically and without the need for human intervention. The only metrics used to measure the success of banner ads and web sites is the amount of economic activity - consumption and production - they are able to stimulate in their human user/subjects. As a result, the future content and structure of media will be designed by machines with no priority other than to induce spending.” — Douglas Rushkoff, 2000, Edge Annual Question, “WHAT IS TODAY'S MOST IMPORTANT UNREPORTED STORY?” https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-douglas-rushkoff-machines-design-media-induce-human-spending ```