Impact Of Algorithms On Society

A common dystopian science fiction future is where the robots take over the world.

- Mukund Rajamannar

A more realistic future is one where human lives are governed by computer algorithms that have no real validation for fairness or neutrality. Unfortunately, this scenario is becoming a silent reality in many areas. While there are varied degrees of impact in different cases, the number of scenarios where algorithms are used for decision making is increasing.

The most widely known common use case of targeted advertising based on tracking user behaviour on the internet is under widespread scrutiny now. Laws like General Data Protection Regulation, and California Consumer Protection Act are being enacted to fix this problem that people are commonly aware of.

However, there are many other scenarios that exist where more awareness, scrutiny and regulation is required. Here are some popular examples that are not exclusive to the entities mentioned below

Amazon’s warehouse worker tracking system can automatically fire employees who aren’t productive enough without human supervisor involvement. Amazon has said this number has come down and people are educated when they are flagged as not being productive enough. However, the reasons for increased productivity and less layoff appear to have more to do with behaviour change due to coercion. The pervasive focus on extracting productivity also extends to its delivery people who regularly break road safety rules and avoid bio-breaks by resorting to extreme measures. It is to be noted that Amazon isn’t the only one doing this.