Kevin Slavin: How algorithms shape our world

http://www.ted.com Kevin Slavin argues that we're living in a world designed for -- and increasingly controlled by -- algorithms. In this riveting talk from TEDGlobal, he shows how these complex computer programs determine: espionage tactics, stock prices, movie scripts, and architecture. And he warns that we are writing code we can't understand, with implications we can't control.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• TED
• TEDTalks
• TEDGlobal
• Kevin
• Slavin
• algorithms
• algorithm
• algorithmic
• math
• computers
• world
• physicist
• electronic
• electronic trading
• financial services
• financial
• trade
• trading
• wall street
• black box
• algo trading
• black box trading
• shares
• transaction
• stock market
• stocks
• market
• stock
• mortgage
• flash crash
• chaos
• pragmatic chaos
• robots
• servers
• Internet
• infrastructure
• frontier
• truth
• Dow Jones
• Dow Jones index
• economic downturn
• stock prices
• radar
• netflix

[littleanimation]

I clicked "like" on this video and Youtube's algorithm immediately recommended four other videos I may like.

[codexdelux]

Isn't it sort of unbelievable that we're according to this, going to terraform the earth to make sure that some algorithms run as fast as possible, only to make more of something that doesn't exist? All that money that is being transfered and "created" is just an idea, a system we've developed to make the exchange of goods a less cumbersome affair. and now we're blowing up trenches to lay cable to make sure what is essentially cheating the fairness of that system? Ape's are weird creatures!

[unisailor]

Somewhat sensasonalistic, but great exposition!

[TheGalavizGroup]

cool channel

[TheTheratfarmer]

to slow your done.

[TheTheratfarmer]

hury up.

[TheTheratfarmer]

your too slow, a salesman mistake.

[TheTheratfarmer]

be carefull.

[TheTheratfarmer]

so you acknoledge the rederal reserve act of 1913 and the american banking act of 1864??

[weewilly2007]

Maybe the only thing all that imaginary money being created represents is the force and ability to produce such dramatic alterations on the physical landscape in the 1st place. Money is the driver and technology is the vehicle right, but where's it going? Reshaping the world so that technology can do a better job at making more money which it will use to fuel even more technologies that will help it make even more money still, is pretty scary. Good one!

[TheFaustianMan]

@contcauba I just read your comment, after typing my own. Mine echoed the very sentiment of your comment. If I had known I would have given you a thumbs up. Alas, I still am, but it amazes me how these people at TED (which is supposed to harbor some bright people) swallow this. How did this get past the monitors? Did they think he was Dr. Ian Malcolm? He obviously does. Did you catch the butterfly example?

[TheFaustianMan]

@TheFaustianMan Oh, and if are into this dated hypothesis you should watch the movie "Pi" it was done much better there. However, it is presented as "fiction" which is in inherently more truthful than this presentation or algo-trading.