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What Is An Algorithm and Why Should I Care?
April 25 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm EDT
We hear a lot of buzz about algorithms and AI. But what exactly are algorithms and how do they work? How are they already using your personal data and shaping your everyday life? Are they good for humanity or are they, as Cathy O’Neil argues, “weapons of ‘math’ destruction”?
Tech companies arguably dodge a lot of scrutiny by coasting on assumptions that their tools are “too complicated” for most people to understand. Increasingly, however, scientists are raising the alarm about an industry that has gone unchecked for far too long. Researchers argue that one solution is “critical algorithmic literacy” for the public, or making sure people have a basic understanding of how algorithms work. By building this new public “literacy” about algorithms, they contend, our societies will be much better equipped to make more informed decisions about the AI Age.
Join L.K. Bertram from the AI and Humanities Lab at the Critical Digital Humanities Initiative and fellow UTM Alumni and friends for this clear, easy-to-follow lecture. You’ll gain a basic introduction to algorithms and their everyday impact as well as hands-on tips for improving your online privacy and ways that we can imagine a new future filled with more responsible tech.
Registration is required for this free, virtual event.