AI is changing how we talk and think. How can we stop it? with Adam Aleksic and Advait Sarkar

This episode of TED Tech explores the profound impact of AI and social media algorithms on language, thought, and identity. Host Sherelle Dorsey introduces two talks that reveal how digital systems are reshaping human expression and cognition. First, etymologist Adam Aleksic examines how AI-driven platforms like TikTok are accelerating linguistic evolution, introducing new words like 'unalive' and 'cottagecore' not through organic cultural development but through algorithmic amplification. He highlights how marginalized communities' linguistic innovations—such as queer and Black slang—are co-opted and diluted by viral trends, often stripped of their original meaning and context. The second talk by Microsoft researcher Advait Sarkar warns of a growing 'intellectual tourism' in knowledge work, where AI is used not to assist but to outsource thinking itself. He argues that this erodes creativity, critical thinking, and memory, and presents a prototype tool for thought that maintains human engagement while leveraging AI’s speed. The episode concludes with a call to reclaim agency by using AI not to think for us, but to make us think better. The central takeaway is that while AI and algorithms offer efficiency and connection, they also risk homogenizing language, commodifying identity, and weakening our cognitive capacities. The solution lies not in rejecting technology, but in designing tools that preserve human agency—by fostering metacognition, resisting automation of thought, and honoring the depth of human expression. The episode urges listeners to be aware of how language and thought are being shaped by invisible systems and to actively choose tools that enhance, rather than replace, our minds.