One critical aspect of understanding how to treat algorithms is to understand the nature of our relationship with them. Algorithmic logic is math at its core. Given the objective nature of math, we tend to associate its objectiveness and describe algorithms as objective as well. Nevertheless, algorithms are not objective by nature. Quite the opposite, they are opinions written in code, glued together with math. In other words, we cannot claim a slice of apple pie to be fresh and nutritious as fruit just because it was made with apples, no matter how hard some of us may wish it to fall into that category. Figure 1 . Computers vs Humans. (Source: xkcd.com, n.d.) The result of this, sometimes unfortunate, instinct to define by association may build a false sense of trust in algorithms. These logics are great tools to guide us through processes, but we must be careful with concluding a relationship of trust from those interactions. As algorithms get m...
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