By skyforbes 
AI and data science to know your preferences better than your friends. A teen-friendly guide to digital power.
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Introduction
Scroll. Swipe. Like. Repeat.
If you’ve ever lost track of time on TikTok, you’re not alone. What feels like a casual scroll is actually a high-powered engine of Artificial Intelligence (AI) at work, quietly studying your every move.
It’s almost spooky: how does TikTok know which video will make you laugh, inspire you or keep you watching for just five more minutes? The answer lies in data and the digital breadcrumbs you leave behind.
As Cathy O’Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction, once said:
Algorithms are opinions embedded in code.
And those opinions shape what you see, think and even how you spend your time.
The Secret Sauce: Data and Algorithms
Behind the endless scroll is an AI system built on data science. Every action you take, what you like, share, skip or rewatch, feeds the algorithm. Imagine it as a giant puzzle where every piece is one of your behaviors.