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Personalization promises to deliver what we need, when we need it. But in a system where new recommendations are based on past behavior, we run the danger of crowding out one of our most beautiful human experiences: serendipity. Serendipity describes the “happy accident;” the unexpected discovery of something that surprises and delights us. Algorithm-based services leave little room for this. Whether we’re talking about Netflix, Spotify or Amazon, our experience is optimized based on past behavior. Take Netflix. You can have algorithms based on character descriptions or actors but there’s no algorithm for evolution. Our aesthetic needs change over time. Just because you liked American Pie at age 16 doesn’t mean you want to see recommendations for American Nursing Home when you’re 50. Yet recommendations continue to emulate our past likes, rather than how we change and grow.

In this talk, I will discuss how the growing trend toward personalization affects our capacity for serendipity.