Algorithms Quote by Cathy O'Neil

“There are lots of different ways that algorithms can go wrong, and what we have now is a system in which we assume because it's shiny new technology with a mathematical aura that it's perfect and it doesn't require further vetting. Of course, we never have that assumption with other kinds of…” quote by Cathy O'Neil — Download Open image

“There are lots of different ways that algorithms can go wrong, and what we have now is a system in which we assume because it's shiny new technology with a mathematical aura that it's perfect and it doesn't require further vetting. Of course, we never have that assumption with other kinds of technology.”

Cathy O'Neil

About This Quote

Source Book: "Weapons of Math Destruction", 2016

New tech is often trusted without scrutiny, leading to unchecked errors in algorithms.

In simple terms: Question shiny tech; demand testing.

Key Takeaway

Validate before trust.

Themes

technology skepticism algorithmic bias critical thinking

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

critical inquisitive

When to use this quote

finance
hiring
law enforcement
healthcare

Key Concepts

Statistical literacy ethics risk assessment

Questions to Reflect On

How do you audit an algorithm?
What safeguards can prevent tech misuse?

A Different Perspective

Over‑reliance on tech can reduce human oversight.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3.5 out of 5 (4 ratings)

Algorithms Algorithms Wrong Assuming Assumption Auras Courses Different Different ways Kind Kinds Technology Mathematical New technology Perfect Technology Technology Mathematical Way Ways Algorithms

More by Cathy O'Neil

With recidivism algorithms, for example, I worry about racist outcomes. With personality tests [for hiring], I worry about filtering out people with mental health…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

“They draw statistical correlations between a person’s zip code or language patterns and her potential to pay back a loan or handle a job.…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

I don't think anybody's ever notified that they were sentenced to an extra two years because their recidivism score had been high, or notified…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

The national conversation around white entitlement, around institutionalized racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, I think, came about in large part because of the…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

“model’s blind spots reflect the judgments and priorities of its creators. While the choices in Google Maps and avionics software appear cut and dried,…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

I would argue that one of the major problems with our blind trust in algorithms is that we can propagate discriminatory patterns without acknowledging…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

We've learned our lesson with finance because they made a huge goddamn explosion that almost shut down the world. But the thing I realized…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

“Employers, for example, are increasingly using credit scores to evaluate potential hires. Those who pay their bills promptly, the thinking goes, are more likely…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

Google is so big you have no idea what a given person does.

Cathy O'Neil

Image

It's a standard thing you hear from startup people - that their product is somehow improving the world. And if you follow the reasoning,…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

The NSA buys data from private companies, so the private companies are the source of all this stuff.

Cathy O'Neil

Image

“The algorithms would make sure that those deemed losers would remain that way. A lucky minority would gain ever more control over the data…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

Explore all 59 Cathy O'Neil quotes

More Algorithms quotes

With recidivism algorithms, for example, I worry about racist outcomes. With personality tests [for hiring], I worry about filtering out people with mental health…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

“He considers it for a moment and spits out the seeds, which sprout, quickly, into tiny junkblossoms sizzling with recursive algorithms. The algorithms wriggle…

Catherynne M. Valente

Image

“no matter how much tech companies talk about algorithms like they’re nothing but advanced math, they always reflect the values of their creators:”

Sara Wachter-Boettcher

Image

Google has - at least at this point - maintained the line where it keeps organic results separate from the advertisements. But over time…

Tim Wu

Image

The classes of problems which are respectively known and not known to have good algorithms are of great theoretical interest. [...] I conjecture that…

Jack Edmonds

Image

No one knows what the right algorithm is, but it gives us hope that if we can discover some crude approximation of whatever this…

Andrew Ng

Image

“Data Scientists should recall innovation often times is not providing fancy algorithms, but rather value to the customer.”

Damian Mingle

Image

I don't think anybody's ever notified that they were sentenced to an extra two years because their recidivism score had been high, or notified…

Cathy O'Neil

Image

Object-oriented programming aficionados think that everything is an object… this [isn't] so. There are things that are objects. Things that have state and change…

Alexander Stepanov