Designing the Future of Behavior: AI, Habit Science, and Change at Scale with Samuel Salzer

In this episode, we explore the intersection of behavioral science, habit formation, and AI with Samuel Salzer—behavioral strategist, founder of Habit Weekly, and co-host of The Behavioral Design Podcast.

Sam shares how he went from studying finance in Australia to becoming a leader in digital behavior change, impacting over 350 million users worldwide. We talk about the science behind habit formation, the story behind Habit Weekly, and practical ways behavioral scientists and researchers can work smarter with AI—without losing their unique perspective.

We also dive into Sam’s recent benchmarking study of 20+ AI tools for literature reviews and explore what behavioral scientists can bring to the evolving AI landscape.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How Sam helped his mom build a 100-day meditation habit (that stuck for 15+ years)
• Why behavior change starts with stable context, not motivation
• The origin of Habit Weekly and how it grew from a LinkedIn post
• How to use AI as a brainstorming partner and productivity tool
• What to look for (and avoid) in AI-powered research tools
• The "Human-AI Sandwich" method to keep your work grounded
• Four ways behavioral scientists can add value in an AI-driven world

Featured Guest: Samuel Salzer

Sam is a behavioral strategist and one of the leading voices in applied behavioral science. He founded Habit Weekly, the world’s largest behavioral design newsletter, and co-founded Nuance Behavior, a collective helping teams apply behavioral science at scale. His work spans digital health, sustainability, finance, and AI.

Resources & Mentions

• Habit Weekly Newsletter
• Nuance Behavior
• The Behavioral Design Podcast – Season 3 is all about AI
• Nuance Behavior's AI tools benchmarking report