Thursday, September 12, 2024

Weapons of Math Destruction

"The root of the trouble, as with so many other WMD's, is the modeler's choice of objectives. The Model is optimized for for efficiency and profitability, not for justice or the good of the 'team.' This is, of course, the nature of capitalism. For companies, revenue is like oxygen."

Makes sense but keep in mind donations and getting elected are the oxygen that politicians live by.

"While Facebook may feel like a modern town square, the company determines, according to their own interests, what we see and learn on its social network... By tweaking its algorithm and molding the news we see, can Facebook game the political system."

"And Facebook is not the only company to weld it. Other publicly held corporations, including Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon and cell phone providers like Verizon and AT&T, and have information of much of humanity."

"George W. Bush, after all, won in 2000 by a margin of 537 votes in Florida. The activity of a single Facebook algorithm on Election Day, it's clear, could not only change the balance of Congress but also decide the Presidency."

Cathy O'Neil's Weapons of Math Destruction came out in 2016. You can't say she didn't try to warn us. 

No comments:

Post a Comment