Haigazian University is pleased to highlight the co-creation and participation of Prof. Sima A. Hamadeh- Head of Nutrition and Dietetics Sciences at HU, in the Emerald Podcast Series 2026, where she contributed to an interdisciplinary discussion on how artificial intelligence is shaping consumer behavior across food and fashion systems.
The episode “Is AI helping us make better choices, or quietly making them for us?”, hosted by Mr. Tom Shiels (Emerald Publishing Team-UK), brought together Prof. Hamadeh alongside Prof. Alexandros Karakostas (Prof. of Behavioral Economics at University of ESSCA-France) and Dr. Rosy Boardman (Dr. of Fashion Business at University of Manchester-UK) to examine whether AI is simply supporting better decision-making or increasingly influencing decisions in ways that are not always visible to consumers. The conversation explored the expanding role of AI technologies, including AR, VR, MR, and the Metaverse, in shaping everyday consumption patterns.
Key themes included healthier food choices, food waste reduction, fast fashion and food overconsumption, as well as critical issues of ethics, algorithmic bias, transparency, governance, and consumer empowerment. A central concern was how to ensure that AI-driven systems enhance rather than diminish human agency.
Prof. Hamadeh emphasized that AI is increasingly part of the “behavioral architecture” shaping food and fashion consumption decisions, underscoring the need for interdisciplinary collaboration across public health, policy, technology, business, industry, and consumer advocacy to ensure responsible AI development.
This participation reflects HU’s ongoing engagement in global conversations at the intersection of public health nutrition, digital innovation, food and fashion sustainability, and ethics.
Listen to the podcast episode on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Joja93Ri1giUnHiWUSiBR?si=mEOpCFXcTbe7gtL5RrIIbA&nd=1&dlsi=55f630f6f48c4b19
Or on the Emerald Podcast Series: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/emerald-podcast-series