Big Data processes codify the past. They do not invent the future. Doing that requires moral imagination, and that’s something only humans can provide.Cathy O'Neil
Models are opinions embedded in mathematics.Cathy O'Neil
Algorithms, once unleashed, continue to function with their ruthless logic, whatever the social consequences.Cathy O'Neil
The human victims of WMDs, we’ll see time and again, are held to a far higher standard of evidence than the algorithms themselves.Cathy O'Neil
You cannot appeal to a WMD. That’s part of their fearsome power. They do not listen. They’re deaf not only to charm, threats, and cajolery but also to logic.Cathy O'Neil
When it comes to WMDs, though, it’s their victims who pay for the mistakes.Cathy O'Neil
In the world of WMDs, it’s the scale of the catastrophe that’s truly perverse.Cathy O'Neil
When we’re within a system, however, it’s often hard to recognize what’s being lost. All those tiny signals, those soft human communications, are silently disappearing.Cathy O'Neil
The privileged, we’ll see time and again, are processed more by people, the masses by machines.Cathy O'Neil
This underscores one of the new cardinal rules of the digital age: have your crisis before the competition does.Cathy O'Neil
In the era of big data, our society is being controlled by people who are comfortable with math, and too many of us are not.Cathy O'Neil
Failing the test of aligning with reality is not only the mark of low-quality craftsmanship but the definition of unfairness.Cathy O'Neil
In real, practical terms, if we want to direct our math to make the world a better place, we’ll need more translators: world-class mathematicians who deeply understand the tools they’re working with and who respect and acknowledge their power.Cathy O'Neil