Why AI wants you to buy more - and mindfulness could help you buy less

Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock You search online for a pair of trainers. Minutes later, similar shoes appear on social media feeds. A shopping site offers a limited-time discount and suggests a matching jacket. This is no longer just an advert shown to millions of people. Increasingly, artificial intelligence is helping decide not only what you see, but which sales pitch is most likely to persuade you. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in online shopping, researchers like me are asking whether…