Akash Nigam, CEO and Founder of Genies, an AI avatar and gaming technology company powering the next generation of digital experiences.
AI is redefining how we interact with the digital and physical world around us. Most people attribute the start of the consumer AI revolution to ChatGPT, but I believe it actually started years before that.
From the algorithm’s humble beginnings of “recommending you better content” to the public-opinion-swaying machine it is today, AI’s influence has been pervasive yet often invisible to the general consumer, working behind the scenes to make experiences more and more personalized. Now, we’re quickly entering an era of heightened agentic and generative AI.
The Early Days: AI As A Tool For Automation
In its infancy, consumer AI focused on task automation and basic information retrieval. Chatbots emerged as one of the earliest applications, taking on the customer service space by providing (or rather, attempting to provide) 24/7 support. Instead of innovating the space, they became a source of great frustration for many customers (even if the B2B logistics benefit was there). We’ve all likely felt the frustration of being stuck on an automated call with an incredibly premature “AI” bot.
Soon after, voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant elevated AI’s utility by enabling hands-free interactions for tasks ranging from setting reminders to answering questions. But once again, instead of elevating the daily life of a user, many of them served as unnecessary pain points and were mostly used for simple tasks such as setting a cooking timer, finding out the weather or changing the music.
The Rise Of Personalization
There used to be a time when any type of online experience—whether e-commerce or social media—was about creating an environment that catered to user choice. You would build the platform and then assume users would know what they wanted if you put options in front of them.
Companies like Netflix, Amazon and Spotify were among the first to experiment with AI-driven personalization, but it didn’t feel very advanced. It was more of a suggestion engine. Enjoyed The Lion King? Cool, you’ll probably like Toy Story. By leveraging recommendation algorithms, they began to tailor content and product suggestions to individual preferences, starting a new wave across online experiences: the complete removal of user intent.
Then came TikTok, which used AI to build one of the most contrarian social medias out there—one that does not rely on following friends and people you like, but rather on an algorithm that makes those decisions for you. And not only did this model work for generating views and engagement, but it worked significantly better than the previous model of users following friends to curate their own feed.
The issue, of course, is that when you remove user intent, you open the door to influencing user behavior more easily—sometimes in ways users aren’t consciously aware of. For business leaders, this represents a powerful shift: Personalization is no longer just about convenience but also about shaping experiences at a deeply intuitive level. But with that power comes a unique responsibility to ensure the user’s best interest is always put first.
The Generative AI Revolution
The evolution continued with the rise of generative AI over the last couple of years. ChatGPT has changed the way we interact with information online in unimaginable ways. Some people use the voice and text prompt features on a daily basis, interacting with ChatGPT hundreds of times a day. A new idea or startup focused on generative tools seems to be hitting the market on a daily basis.
These tools are also empowering the common consumer to create all types of new content that they wouldn’t have had the skill set for before—whether it be text, art or design—with minimal effort. AI-generated scripts, visuals and music are transforming content production.
The Future Of Consumer AI: How To Prepare And Adapt
The consumer AI revolution is happening now. From personalized content to AI companions that anticipate needs, technology is shifting from being helpful to being deeply influential. Tools are rapidly evolving to understand users at a deeper level—tracking behavior, preferences and real-time context to deliver experiences tailored to the individual. The key question is, how do we use it to support users, not reshape them?
Based on my own work in the AI field, here are some best practices I believe other business leaders will also find effective:
1. Build ethical, flexible AI systems. Prioritize transparency and data responsibility. Make sure your infrastructure can adapt as expectations evolve.
2. Encourage experimentation. Let your teams test and iterate with new AI tools. Personalization should be guided by real user feedback, not just assumptions.
3. Design for user control. Don’t replace user intent—enhance it. Give people options and clarity so they stay in charge of their experience.
4. Continuously upskill your team. AI is moving fast. The biggest mistake I see businesses make is treating AI like a static feature instead of a dynamic capability. Keep teams trained not just on tools but on how to use them responsibly.
5. Educate your customers. Explain how personalization works and why it benefits them. In my experience, clarity builds trust.
Conclusion
I expect that in the coming years, we will see more and more companies using AI to not only optimize for clicks or conversions but also to build trust, promote discovery and enhance the user journey in meaningful ways. When done thoughtfully, AI-driven personalization can create more delightful, relevant and serendipitous experiences—while also respecting user agency and well-being. It’s not just about what users want in the moment but about what will ultimately create lasting value for them and your brand.
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