Resilient & Responsible: Distributed AI Personalization as a Public Digital Utility

Abstract

Personalization platforms have transitioned out of niche marketing technologies to become critical social infrastructure mediating access to information, service, and opportunity in digital ecosystems. With the integration of such algorithmic systems within commerce, education, healthcare, and civic life, there are concerns regarding how they should be governed and aligned with the interests of the people. This article proposes a re-thinking of personalization technologies as commonplace digital utilities, the infrastructural character of those systems, the contemporary regulatory environments, and a way forward to more equitable design. The shift to systems aligned with public value systems instead of focusing on mere engagement will necessitate new forms of governance, privacy-sensitive architectures, and other methods of measurement that focus on the common good. The article illustrates how, when created with the consideration of public interest, personalization can be used to balance functionality and equity, transparency, and cultural diversity in adaptive learning platforms and music recommendation systems.