Reading Excerpt: A Human's Guide to Machine Intelligence

This month I read "A Human's Guide to Machine Intelligence," by Kartik Hosanagar, and I enjoyed it even more than I expected.

Take a listen for a few choice excerpts. You'll find two images or texts referenced in the selections below, marked [1] and [3] for the excerpt they correspond to. 

[1]

[3]

You can also find the "Algorithmic Bill of Rights" I mentioned published at this link. The four main pillars Hosanagar proposes are:

• First, those who use algorithms or who are impacted by decisions made by algorithms should have a right to a description of the data used to train them and details as to how that data was collected.
• Second, those who use algorithms or who are impacted by decisions made by algorithms should have a right to an explanation regarding the procedures used by the algorithms, expressed in terms simple enough for the average person to easily access and interpret. These first two pillars are both related to the general principle of transparency.
• Third, those who use algorithms or who are impacted by decisions made by algorithms should have some level of control over the way those algorithms work–that is, there should always be a feedback loop between the user and the algorithm.
• Fourth, those who use algorithms or who are impacted by decisions made by algorithms should have the responsibility to be aware of the unanticipated consequences of automated decision making.

I really connect to the way Hosanagar imagines a shared responsibility between users and designers. If any of this sparked something for you, I encourage you to pick up a copy. Just know, whether you grab it from the library or buy it online, it may affect the next book recommendation the algorithms make for you.

Best wishes,

Yannick