Name: The era of blind faith in big data must end
Uploaded: 2017-08-22T14:45:41Z
Duration: 13 min 9 s
Description: Algorithms decide who gets a loan, who gets a job interview, who gets insurance and much more -- but they don't automatically make things fair. Mathematician and data scientist Cathy O'Neil coined a term for algorithms that are secret, important and harmful: "weapons of math destruction." Learn more about the hidden agendas behind the formulas.

Algorithms decide who gets a loan, who gets a job interview, who gets insurance and much more -- but they don't automatically make things fair. Mathematician and data scientist Cathy O'Neil coined a term for algorithms that are secret, important and harmful: "weapons of math destruction." Learn more about the hidden agendas behind the formulas.

Cathy O'Neil: The era of blind faith in big data must end

The era of blind faith in big data must end

Algorithms, opinions in code, shape our lives, from job interviews to insurance rates, often without a chance to appeal.

A flawed teacher evaluation algorithm, likened to a random number generator, highlights the peril of unchecked algorithms.

Algorithms often perpetuate past biases, becoming 'weapons of math destruction' that shape futures based on historical data.