This TED Talk features mathematician and data scientist Kathy O'Neill, recorded live at TED 2017.

Algorithms are everywhere. They sort and separate the winners from the losers. The winners get the job or a good credit card offer. The losers don't even get an interview,

or they pay more for insurance.

We're being scored with secret formulas that we don't understand,

that often don't have systems of appeal.

That begs the question, what if the algorithms are wrong?

To build an algorithm, you need two things.

You need data, what happened in the past, and a definition of success.

The thing you're looking for and often hoping for.

You train an algorithm by looking, figuring out, the algorithm figures out what is associated with success,

what situation leads to success.

Actually, everyone uses algorithms.

They just don't formalize them in written code.

Let me give you an example.

I use an algorithm every day to make a meal for my family.

The data I use is the ingredients

in my kitchen, the time I have, the ambition I have, and I curate that data. I don't count

those little packages of ramen noodles as food. My definition of success is a meal is successful if my kids eat vegetables.

It's very different from if my youngest son were in charge, he'd say success is if he gets to eat lots of Nutella.

But I get to choose success.

I am in charge.

My opinion matters.

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