Short Wave

Are You Overestimating The Algorithm?


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Humans hallucinate. Algorithms lie.

At least, that's one difference that Joy Buolamwini and Kyle Chayka want to make clear. When ChatGPT tells you that a book exists when it doesn't – or professes its undying love – that's often called a "hallucination." Buolamwini, a computer scientist, prefers to call it "spicy autocomplete." But not all algorithmic errors are as innocuous. So today's show, we get into: How do algorithms work? What are their impacts? And how can we speak up about changing them?

This is a shortened version of Joy and Kyle's live interview, moderated by Regina G. Barber, at this year's Library of Congress National Book Festival.

If you liked this episode, check out our other episodes on facial recognition in Gaza, why AI is not a silver bullet and tech companies limiting police use of facial recognition.

Interested in hearing more technology stories? Email us at [email protected] — we'd love to consider your idea for a future episode!

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