Slave to the Algorithm

Slave to the Algorithm

2018, Technology  -   6 Comments
7.69
12345678910
Ratings: 7.69/10 from 52 users.

We live in a data driven world. When computers made their emergence in the mainstream, society generally viewed them as a convenience that would ease the process of problem solving and decision making. Today, computers are often making decisions for us, and frequently in ways that we cannot immediately detect. Slave to the Algorithm reveals this disturbing trend that endangers our perceptions, livelihoods and freedoms.

An algorithm is essentially an equation for success. This computer code measures strands of statistical data, and produces a profile that estimates a desired end result. Advocates claim that such algorithms are essential to ensuring success in business, advertising and social institutions. It all comes down to the infallible neutrality of mathematics, they claim. But what if the data itself is biased?

Algorithms creep up in almost every aspect of our public life. On the industry side, it's a useful tool for maximizing profitability. In profiling the perfect consumer of a specific product, companies can potentially increase their earnings even when the data isn't wholly accurate.

But when the stakes are higher, the practice takes on more nefarious implications. Such is the case with one of the film's beleaguered subjects, a convict who was threatened with a much longer prison sentence based on a risk assessment algorithm. By removing the human factor from the most profound life-altering decisions, we could easily become slaves to incomplete or biased data streams.

Never is this more apparent than in our social media platforms. In this era of international election espionage and fake news, the Facebook algorithm has garnered the most scrutiny in recent years. The film exerts its focus on the social media giant, as data researchers struggle to untangle the mysteries of its highly influential algorithms. In its quest to increase engagement, the company has been criticized for spreading massive quantities of incendiary misinformation and for tarnishing the tone of our social discourse.

Slave to the Algorithm provides valuable insights into an insidious reality. It's an issue that touches all of us in one form or another, and could ultimately jeopardize our constitutional rights and way of life.

Directed by: Martijn Kieft

More great documentaries

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

6 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Jake Paul
Jake Paul
1 year ago

hi good documentry

Dainius
Dainius
3 years ago

Terrifying true

Yash Raj
Yash Raj
4 years ago

outstanding documentary .........

Synesius
Synesius
5 years ago

Great documentary!

@Vince, have you considered using a VPN to bypass this restriction?

Vince
Vince
5 years ago

Why am I not allowed to see this in Holland??

Kubhi
Kubhi
5 years ago

I doubt that! If you say the decisions are left to few people operate and feed those machine (computers), it does make sense and not otherwise.