Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms

by Hannah Fry

Understanding our own flaws and weaknesses – as well as those of the machine – is the key to remaining in control.

An algorithm is simply a series of logical instructions that show, from start to finish, how to accomplish a task.

specific. They still boil down to a list of step-by-step instructions, but these algorithms are almost always mathematical objects. They take a sequence of mathematical operations – using equations, arithmetic, algebra, calculus, logic and probability – and translate them into computer code. They are fed with data from the real world, given an objective and set to work crunching through the calculations to achieve their aim. They are what makes computer science an actual science, and in the process have fuelled many of the most miraculous modern achievements made by machines.

When people are unaware they are being manipulated, they tend to believe they have adopted their new thinking voluntarily,’ Epstein wrote in the original paper.

Because trusting a usually reliable algorithm is one thing. Trusting one without any firm understanding of its quality is quite another.

my years working as a mathematician with data and algorithms, I’ve come to believe that the only way to objectively judge whether an algorithm is trustworthy is by getting to the bottom of how it works. In my experience, algorithms are a lot like magical illusions. At first they appear to be nothing short of actual wizardry, but as soon as you know how the trick is done, the mystery evaporates.

having a person with the power of veto in a position to review the suggestions of an algorithm before a decision is made is the only sensible way to avoid mistakes.