Every experiment begins with a hypothesis. Every organization assumes it is the one running the test.

Yet in reality, we are all participants.

As automation advances, our choices become data. Every click, pause, or search feeds a model that learns from us. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are all subjects in a continuous experiment.

This is why human-centered design matters. It is not only about empathizing with users; it is about recognizing our shared participation.

When humans become the experiment, responsibility shifts. Every decision reflects the experimenter’s ethics. Every synthetic persona mirrors its creator’s assumptions. The experimenter and the participant merge into one.

The question is no longer “What happens when humans are the experiment?” The real question is “What are we teaching the systems to learn about us?”