Algorithms Quote by Hannah Fry
“Once you see the problems that algorithms can introduce, people can be quick to want to throw them away altogether and think the situation would be resolved by sticking to human decisions until the algorithms are better.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Numbers Show, 2021
People may reject algorithms after seeing flaws, preferring human judgment until tech improves
In simple terms: Skepticism toward imperfect algorithms leads to overreliance on humans
Key Takeaway
Balance trust in technology with critical oversight
Themes
technology
ethics
decision making
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
ethical
pragmatic
When to use this quote
- business strategy
- policy development
- AI deployment
- risk assessment
Key Concepts
algorithmic bias
human judgment
Questions to Reflect On
- What safeguards can ensure responsible AI use?
- When should human judgment dominate?
A Different Perspective
Algorithms can still cause harm if not properly vetted
![“With recidivism algorithms, for example, I worry about racist outcomes. With personality tests [for hiring], I worry about filtering out people with mental health problems from jobs. And with a teacher value-added model algorithm [used in New York City to score teachers], I worry literally that…” quote by Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7df/cathy-o-neil-11478_algorithms_with-recidivism-algorithms-for-example-i_18212.jpg)
![“The classes of problems which are respectively known and not known to have good algorithms are of great theoretical interest. [...] I conjecture that there is no good algorithm for the traveling salesman problem. My reasons are the same as for any mathematical conjecture: (1) It is a legitimate…” quote by Jack Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/43a/jack-edmonds-61996_algorithms_the-classes-of-problems-which-are-respec_50487.jpg)
![“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 their state are objects. And then there are things that are not objects. A binary search is not an object. It is an algorithm” quote by Alexander Stepanov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ef9/alexander-stepanov-55292_algorithms_object-oriented-programming-aficionados_89704.jpg)
![“[The Euclidean algorithm is] the granddaddy of all algorithms, because it is the oldest nontrivial algorithm that has survived to the present day.” quote by Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/880/donald-knuth-8762_algorithms_the-euclidean-algorithm-is-the-granddadd_96085.jpg)
