Seeing what algorithms and AI do for us

As artificial intelligence becomes more ingrained in our lives, it will become increasingly difficult for humans to see what these technologies are actually doing.

By that, I don’t mean understanding the algorithms or computational mechanics behind them. I’m referring to being cognizant of their effects on a human level. To draw an analogy: we no longer see our microwave ovens. But if a group of people were transported from the 1940s and shown even the most basic microwave ovens, they’d be astonished. Those not terrified by the device — “this must be the devil’s handiwork!” — would be filled with questions. Questions we no longer think to ask. Like the most basic one: How does it work? How in God’s name is that box heating up Grandma’s brisket with no fire or sunlight?

Before AI becomes like the microwave — familiar, opaque, and unquestioned — this little piece is an attempt to help us better see what these technologies are doing for us.

In her book Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms, Dr. Hannah Fry organizes the tasks of algorithms into four categories:

• Prioritization — Ordering data. Examples include search results ranked on a webpage, the list returned by a Google search, or a selection of homes a user is most likely to buy or rent.
• Classification — Placing data into categories. For instance, a risk assessment algorithm in the criminal justice system might classify offenders as “high risk” or “low risk” of re-offending…