Biased Algorithms, Biased World

On the Media

• Episode: Biased Algorithms, Biased World
• Website: On the Media
• Feed URL: http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia
• Duration: 00:16:06
• Published: 2021-09-01 18:00

Algorithms are everywhere, making crucial decisions at almost every juncture of our lives. But, while we may believe in the objectivity of these mathematical models, they're made from and produce far more bias than we think. Mathematician and former Wall Street quant, Cathy O'Neil wants us to question our unexamined faith in predictive algorithms. Her book, Weapons of Math Destruction, calls out an urgent need to investigate these black box constructions that govern so much of our lives, from going to college and getting a job, to online advertising and criminal sentencing. She and Brooke discuss the science behind predictive algorithms and how they can go terribly wrong.

This segment originally aired on our November 22, 2019 program, The Disagreement is the Point.