silence7@slrpnk.net to Technology@lemmy.worldEnglish · 4 months agoAn Algorithm Told Police She Was Safe. Then Her Husband Killed Her.www.nytimes.comexternal-linkmessage-square71fedilinkarrow-up1483cross-posted to: nyt_gift_articles@sopuli.xyz
arrow-up1483external-linkAn Algorithm Told Police She Was Safe. Then Her Husband Killed Her.www.nytimes.comsilence7@slrpnk.net to Technology@lemmy.worldEnglish · 4 months agomessage-square71fedilinkcross-posted to: nyt_gift_articles@sopuli.xyz
minus-squareLeate_Wonceslace@lemmy.dbzer0.comlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up13·4 months agoPedantic Mathematician here. If it failed, then it was a heuristic, rather than an algorithm. Clearly, that’s the most important thing about this post. You’re welcome.
minus-squaresilence7@slrpnk.netOPlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up13·4 months agoPretty much anything trying to predict human behavior is a heuristic; people using them as if they’ve got some kind of certainty is a problem.
minus-squaretechnocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.comlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up3·edit-24 months agoWhy not both? A bad algorithm based on bad heuristics? There are many many algorithms that fail at what they’re supposed to do. As a non-condescending “mathematician”, I’m happy to help.
Pedantic Mathematician here.
If it failed, then it was a heuristic, rather than an algorithm.
Clearly, that’s the most important thing about this post.
You’re welcome.
Pretty much anything trying to predict human behavior is a heuristic; people using them as if they’ve got some kind of certainty is a problem.
Yes, exactly.
Why not both? A bad algorithm based on bad heuristics? There are many many algorithms that fail at what they’re supposed to do.
As a non-condescending “mathematician”, I’m happy to help.