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The Atlantic CEO @nxthompson (Nicholas Thompson) said on 2026-08-06 that AI could…

2026-08-06 · 23:21 UTC ·@tbpn ·1 min read

Brief

The Atlantic CEO @nxthompson (video posted 2026-08-06 via @tbpn) argued that social-media algorithms push users toward extremes and enable 'ragebait,' whereas AI 'does the opposite.' He said increased AI use could make audiences more moderate, lower incentives for ragebait, and potentially produce a healthier media ecosystem.

Why it matters

The Atlantic CEO @nxthompson (Nicholas Thompson) said on 2026-08-06 that AI could act as a moderating force on the extreme polarization produced downstream of social-media algorithms.

Key details

  • Thompson claimed 'Social media drives people to extremes' and 'encourages ragebait,' blaming the effects on how social algorithms were built and used.
  • He argued 'AI kind of does the opposite' — that 'the more time you spend on AI, the more moderate, the more toward the center you get' — and suggested a media ecosystem with more AI and less social-media dominance could reduce incentives for ragebait and be healthier.
Source evidence

The Atlantic CEO @nxthompson says AI could be a moderating force on the extreme polarization downstream of social media algos:

"Social media drives people to extremes. It encourages ragebait."

"It didn't have to be that way, but it's the way the algorithms were built. It's the way we used them."

"AI kind of does the opposite. The more time you spend on AI, the more moderate, the more toward the center you get."

"I wonder whether, as the media ecosystem has more AI and is less dominated by social media, the incentives for ragebait go down. Whether it actually leads to a healthier ecosystem..."

"I'm kind of hopeful AI makes this better."

Video