The Age of the Algorithm
99% Invisible5 Syys 2017

The Age of the Algorithm

Computer algorithms now shape our world in profound and mostly invisible ways. They predict if we’ll be valuable customers and whether we’re likely to repay a loan. They filter what we see on social media, sort through resumes, and evaluate job performance. They inform prison sentences and monitor our health. Most of these algorithms have been created with good intentions. The goal is to replace subjective judgments with objective measurements. But it doesn’t always work out like that.

“I don’t think mathematical models are inherently evil — I think it’s the way they’re used that are evil,” says mathematician Cathy O’Neil, author of the book Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. She has studied number theory, worked as a data scientist at start-ups, and built predictive algorithms for various private enterprises. Through her work, she’s become critical about the influence of poorly-designed algorithms.

The Age of the Algorithm

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.

Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jaksot(773)

Uptown Squirrel

Uptown Squirrel

This past fall, two hundred people gathered at The Explorer’s Club in New York City. The building was once a clubhouse for famed naturalists and explorers. Now it’s an archive of ephemera and rarities...

1 Touko 201930min

Play Mountain

Play Mountain

Even if you don't recognize a Noguchi table by name, you've definitely seen one. In movies or tv shows when they want to show that a lawyer or art dealer is really sophisticated, they put a Noguchi ta...

24 Huhti 201937min

The Roman Mars Mazda Virus

The Roman Mars Mazda Virus

Gimlet’s Reply All orchestrated a grand podcast crossover event to try to solve a years old bug plaguing 99% Invisible listeners that drive certain models of Mazda. You can find all the fake podcast e...

16 Huhti 201952min

Froebel's Gifts

Froebel's Gifts

In the late 1700s, a young man named Freidrich Froebel was on track to become an architect when a friend convinced him to pursue a path toward education instead. And in changing course, Froebel arguab...

9 Huhti 201923min

Three Things That Made the Modern Economy

Three Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made The Modern Economy is a podcast that explores the fascinating histories of a number of powerful inventions and their far-reaching consequences. This week, 99% Invisible is featurin...

2 Huhti 201928min

The Many Deaths of a Painting

The Many Deaths of a Painting

When Barnett Newman’s painting Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue III was placed in the Stedelijk museum it was meant to be provocative, but one reaction that it received was so intense, so violent,...

27 Maalis 201940min

Palaces for the People

Palaces for the People

Social Infrastructure is the glue that binds communities together, and it is just as real as the infrastructure for water, power, or communications, although it's often harder to see. But Eric Klinenb...

19 Maalis 201944min

Classic Cartoon Sound Effects!

Classic Cartoon Sound Effects!

Cartoon sound effects are some of the most iconic sounds ever made. Even modern cartoons continue to use the same sound effects from decades ago. How were these legendary sounds made and how have they...

12 Maalis 201927min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
psykopodiaa-podcast
mimmit-sijoittaa
rss-rahapodi
rss-rahamania
rss-lahtijat
inderespodi
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
rss-h-asselmoilanen
rss-paasipodi
herrasmieshakkerit
rahapuhetta
pomojen-suusta
sijoituspodi
rss-laakispodi
rss-bisnesta-bebeja
taloudellinen-mielenrauha
syo-nuku-saasta
asuntoasiaa-paivakirjat
rss-startup-ministerio