“I wanted better Gmail ads. I wanted something useful. So I started sending myself e-mails in an attempt to nudge the algorithm toward something I’d want to see. I figured I’d start positive. I sent myself a one-liner: “You are the best!” It generated an ad for a twelve-inch Pez dispenser. Banking on conflict, I replied to myself: “You’re an asshole!” producing an ad for a Hello Kitty bracelet. This made me think Google might actually consider me an asshole. So I apologized to myself in the next reply, which generated an ad for a service to learn French.”
