Can algorithms make better decisions for humans? Is it dangerous for algorithms to decide humanity’s fate?
Algorithms rule us all with machines now determining major aspects of your life. They elect whether or not you receive a job or are given a mortgage. They even decide if a person will be released from prison.
To make an algorithm work you just need a series of data points and an “exact definition of success.” Of course, this is problematic. Data sets are always missing key elements. And, because humans decide on successful parameters, the algorithm’s goal will come with an innate set of biases.
An algorithm’s ability to process huge numbers of data points might be helpful when trying to organize waste management. However, it can also serve to further disenfranchise groups like when Google’s algorithm advertised higher paid jobs to men. Machine Learning and neural networks are here to stay but humans need to understand how they are affecting the trajectory of our lives to ensure they are being used properly.
Machines are driving polarization.
In the documentary, Algorithms Rule Us All, relevant tech thinkers explain how algorithms are driving us towards polarization through the goals set out for them by human beings. Pushing us to engage more on social media is one example of these desired outcomes. Above all, the media companies do not care if the content is having a positive effect on the world, just that your attention is on them.
After watching interviews with technology experts like Cathy O’ Neil and Jaron Lanier, you will wonder what other decisions machines are making about your life. This film may in fact inspire a digital detox. In conclusion, it is us who must start the fight for an inclusive, humanistic approach to technology. We need a world where humans control their data. The alternative is to get lost in the machine.