Max Hawkins: I let algorithms randomize my life for two years

I let algorithms randomize my life for two years

What if everything in your life was randomized: from the food you ate to the things you did and the places you traveled? Computer scientist Max Hawkins created algorithms to make decisions like these for him -- and got hooked on the experience for two years. He shares how relinquishing choice sent him across the world and opened him up to the beautiful complexity and richness of life. It makes you wonder: What lies just outside your comfort zone?

Surrendering daily choices to computer algorithms revealed the surprising richness of ordinary life and unfamiliar communities. By using random apps to pick everything from evening activities to global destinations, one person found new freedom and courage outside old routines. This experiment led to two years of global travel, dozens of unexpected adventures, and a deeper awareness of how unseen forces shape personal decisions. Even randomness, he realized, is shaped by social systems and hidden boundaries.