If I buy from Apple, I am considered their customer. Yet collectively, millions like me share our personal data on their platform, subscribe to their services, and stay loyal to their brand. Holistically, we are not just Apple’s customers—we are Apple’s product.
From our data, Apple engineers its next wave of products and services. Our subscriptions and loyalty inflate their brand value and market worth. If tomorrow Apple lost millions of users, they wouldn’t just lose customers—they would lose the very fuel that powers their future.
So, are we customers—or are we the raw material of our vendors’ products?
The same holds true for AI solutions. The more we use them, the more data they harvest, the more valuable they become, and the more we rely on them. We think we are using them, but perhaps they are using us. We are not just teaching the machine—we are becoming the lesson.
And here lies the bigger question: what is the role of government in protecting its citizens? Can we trust them to shield us—or will they stand with corporations to shape, nudge, and manipulate us? Many already do.
The future is fascinating, but its challenges will be radically different. To navigate it, we must not only stay present—we must stay awake.
