Algorithms, Decision-making, and the Human Outside the Code
Journal
Moral & Machines
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2021-12-18
Author(s)
Abstract
In this intervention, we discuss to what extent the term “decision” serves as an adequate terminology for what algorithms actually do. Although calculations of algorithms might be perceived as or be an important basis for a decision, we argue, that this terminology is not only misleading but also problematic. A calculation is not a decision, we claim, since a decision (implicitly) includes two important aspects: imaginaries about the future and a “fictional surplus” as well as the process of justification. Our proposal can be seen as an invitation to reflect but the role of “humans outside the code” (and not merely “in the loop”).
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SHSS - Kulturen, Institutionen, Maerkte (KIM)
Refereed
No
Volume
1
Number
2
Start page
78
End page
85
Eprints ID
264836