Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with These Great Books
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy

Questions About Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy

by Cathy O'Neil

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Weapons of Math Destruction, please sign up.

Answered Questions (2)

what is the book about?
Andrew Walls The author explores the ethical and moral dilemmas generated by algorithms that contain within themselves the prejudices, biases and preconceptions of…m´Ç°ù±ðThe author explores the ethical and moral dilemmas generated by algorithms that contain within themselves the prejudices, biases and preconceptions of the algorithm designers. At times, designers are not conscious of their reliance on biased data and design, at other times, they are. This is a fascinating book and particularly relevant as all of us are pulled into a data-driven world.(less)
flag
The need to question data analysis and how to draw sensible conclusions from data? ...
Zach It's a primer on the development and consequences of using algorithms to make complex decisions. I don't think the author would necessarily disagree w…m´Ç°ù±ðIt's a primer on the development and consequences of using algorithms to make complex decisions. I don't think the author would necessarily disagree with the data analysis or conclusions as it applies to the observed data. I think she would, however, question the validity of relying on those conclusions as the primary decision making criterion. Succinctly, solid data analysis with sensible conclusions can become a WMD when turned into a predictive algorithm. WMDs can be innocently wrong (eg someone who is a low-risk borrower might have a low credit score because they were sent to collections for a parking ticket they didn't know they had because they moved cross-country... not that I'm bitter), WMDs can be gamed (eg the collateralized debt obligations that crashed the economy in 2008 are largely due to bundling higher-risk loans in a way that the algorithms thought they were lower-risk), and WMDs can have consequences that most of us don't like (eg social media feed algorithms sensibly conclude from the data that people engage longer with content that induces negative emotions, which makes them $$ but makes us unhappy).(less)
flag

Unanswered Questions (1)

About Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions