Big Roles of Algorithms in Our Daily Lives

In this week's lectures, we discuss algorithms -- the rules that machines follow to get anything done. Many of them play a big role in our daily lives. Think for instance of the algorithm that produces our google search results; or the one which decides what posts to show us on social media; or what products and ads we'll see online. Even more importantly, algorithms may be deciding if we get a bank loan, if we get accepted into a university; which job postings we'll see on hiring sites, or who we should be paired with on dating sites. And if it does sound like we're giving machines jobs that are really crucial and sensitive, that's because it's true -- but what else can we do? There is too much information out there for us to find and sift through on our own.
Some of the questions we ask in our lectures: are algorithms always fair and objective? Can we avoid human biases by letting machines decide who should get fired or promoted; who should spend more time in jail or be released; who deserved financial aids or gets to take student loans? What are the challenges we see with that -- and are they the result of human error, bad design, or something else entirely?
We also talk about problems that may arise from algorithms being too good at their job. Is it possible that apps and websites have become dangerously helpful? As in, so great at figuring out what we like and want to find, that we end up seeing less and less content we might disagree with? Could that be isolating us from diverse opinions that might make us more empathetic to other people's viewpoints? Or, is that simply an excuse we make up, given how easy it is to find those diverse opinions if we really wanted them?