AI and Addiction: Understanding Cognitive Biases to Protect Citizens

A Chronicle on AI, Cognitive Biases, and Digital Responsibility

In this opinion piece for Journal du Net, Marie Potel-Saville examines a critical question: as AI systems become increasingly embedded in digital platforms, are we sufficiently accounting for the cognitive biases that shape human behavior?

The article highlights how AI-powered environments can amplify mechanisms that encourage excessive engagement and repetitive behaviors. Cognitive shortcuts, which help humans make fast decisions, also make behaviors predictable and therefore easier to influence. When these mechanisms are integrated into digital systems at scale, they can contribute to forms of dependency that go beyond simple user engagement.

Rather than placing responsibility solely on individuals, the chronicle argues for a deeper understanding of how psychological vulnerabilities interact with technological design. Protecting citizens requires recognizing how cognitive biases operate and integrating that knowledge into regulation, governance, and product design.

Read the Full Chronicle

The full article is available in French on Journal du Net: https://www.journaldunet.com/intelligence-artificielle/1548165-ia-et-addiction-pour-proteger-les-citoyens-nous-devons-comprendre-leurs-biais-cognitifs/