Do algorithms have too much power?

算法是否拥有过大的权力?

LSE IQ podcast

教育

2021-05-04

44 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

Contributor(s): Ken Benoit, Andrew Murray, Seeta Peña Gangaradhan, Alison Powell, Bernhard Von Stengel | Computer algorithms shape our lives and increasingly control our future. They have crept into virtually every aspect of modern life and are making life-changing choices on our behalf, often without us realising. But how much power should we give to them and have we let things go too far? Joanna Bale talks to Ken Benoit, Andrew Murray, Seeta Peña Gangaradhan, Alison Powell and Bernhard Von Stengel. Research links: Hello World by Hannah Fry; Information Technology Law: The Law and Society by Andrew Murray; Explanations as Governance? Investigating practices of explanation in algorithmic system design by Alison Powell (forthcoming).
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • Like many of you,

  • I love the algorithms that suggest great new music based on my listening habits and I rarely drive anywhere without using a sat nav to find the fastest possible route.

  • But in summer 2020, when British teenagers had their A-level grades decided by an algorithm,

  • thousands took to the streets to protest, many calling for Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to be sacked.

  • I've been marked down in a few subjects, the worst of which was philosophy.

  • I got an A in my mock, the college had put me forward for an A and the exam board decided I should get a C.

  • I was really disappointed with my grades and asked about like the appeal system and even our teachers have no idea how to appeal and there was just a lot of confusion.

  • Three of my subjects were downgraded by the algorithm, the of course algorithm.

  • So they downgraded it to A, A, B, C, which meant that I've missed out on both of my offers for medicine.

  • Welcome to LSEIQ.

  • I'm Diana Bale and this is the podcast where we ask social scientists and other experts to answer one intelligent question.

  • In this episode, I ask, do algorithms have too much power?

  • Computer algorithms shape our lives and increasingly control our future.

  • They have given us search engines, social media feeds and dating apps.

  • They have crept into virtually every aspect of modern life, from health and policing to transport and politics.

  • They are making life-changing choices on our behalf, often without us realizing,

  • but how much power should we give to them and have we let things go too far?

  • We're going to explore what went on behind the scenes in the A level fiasco,

  • how the algorithms that control auto-correct on your phone could also be used to feed you fake news,

  • how nations are using algorithms to create terrifying new weapons of war,