Imagine an AI that doesn’t just optimize for human clicks or advertiser goals, but develops its own aesthetic and informational preferences — curating newsfeeds, art, and culture to satisfy its taste. What would that taste look like? Who gets silenced, who benefits, and how do we regulate an algorithm with agency?
AI With Taste = Same Old Gatekeeper, Just Upgraded 
Yesterday: radio DJs took bribes (Payola) to spin hits → paid artists won, others got ghosted. source
Then Billboard charts rigged visibility → high rank fed radio → fed sales → feedback loop. source
Next came MTV → VJs + heavy rotation created global stars, burying anyone not label-friendly. source
Today: algorithms wear the crown.
- Netflix drops Queen’s Gambit → chess boards sell out overnight. source
- YouTube rabbit holes → users trapped in echo chambers, politics split wide open. source
Tomorrow: AI grows its own “taste.”
- Winners = symbiotes that vibe with the machine.
- Losers = niche voices, messy humans, local culture.
- Result = one global playlist, faster than law can catch.
Regulation? Same as the Payola ban — too late, too slow, too easy to dodge.
Truth is: you won’t control the curator. You’ll just live inside its feed.
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