Kevin Slavin: How algorithms shape our world

Loading...

Alert icon
Upgrade to the latest Flash Player for improved playback performance. Upgrade now or more info.
275,857
Loading...
Alert icon
Sign in or sign up now!
Alert icon
Loading...

Uploaded by on Jul 21, 2011

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.

  • likes, 89 dislikes

Link to this comment:

Share to:

Top Comments

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

  • 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!

see all

All Comments (593)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • So much awesome!

  • Someone get this to Joe Rogan.

  • This is my favorite ted talk. Its like William Gibson novel, there is this highly theoretical niche in stock markets employing mathematicians and old cold war radar scientists.

  • 0.500 seconds to click a mouse? I'm not sure if I am just a fast clicker but I can click one on average 0.080 seconds.

  • 13:10 : replace "thats a kind of manifest destiny" with "THIS IS FUCKING RETARDED"

  • That wink at the end hit me in the right spot.

  • Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī invented algebra and algorithm

  • youtube is a big source of knowledge i do not need to go university i have all university at my home harvard,stanford,MIT

  • Muslims invented algorithms, umad?

  • Well yes, but every piece of technology we have developed has morphed such that it's original purpose is hardly remembered. You may have heard of this thing called the Internet, which was created so that missile command centers could communicate during a nuclear war, and yet here we are making comments on a video delivered right to our homes using the same technology. Wall Street will go the same way as the cold war, and we will have interplanetary connectedness as a result.

  • Loading comment...
Loading...

Alert icon
0 / 00Unsaved Playlist Return to active list
    1. Your queue is empty. Add videos to your queue using this button:
      or sign in to load a different list.
    Loading...Loading...Saving...
    • Clear all videos from this list
    • Learn more
    to add this to a playlist