Stephen R. Addison. College of Natural Sciences and MathemaZcs. University of Central Arkansas. October 2, 2017. Schedler Honors College. University of ...
Schedler Honors College University of Central Arkansas Challenge Week 2017 Algorithms: What they are, how we use them, and why you should know about them. Stephen R. Addison College of Natural Sciences and MathemaAcs University of Central Arkansas October 2, 2017
The word: algorithm
The word: algorithm Around the year 825 CE, in Persia Abū ʿAbdallāh Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī Wrote Kitab al-jabr wa al-muqabalah Translates as: Rules of reintegraAon and reducAon
The word: algorithm arithmos – Greek for number al-Khwārizmī – the man of Khwārizmī Rendered in Latin as algorismus, through old French to English, becoming algorism, and then sometime in the 17th century, becoming algorithm
What is an algorithm ? A process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations
What is an algorithm ? If ax2 + bx + c = 0
Then, x =
b±
p
b2 2a
4ac
What is an algorithm ? A process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.
Are there any synonyms for algorithm ? Power Thesaurus yields 178: Broader Synonyms computaAonal physics, formula, rule sorAng algorithm, stemmer, stemming algorithm, data analyAcs
Are there any synonyms for algorithm ? Power Thesaurus yields 178: Narrower Synonyms formula, rule sorAng algorithm, stemmer, stemming algorithm,
Robot as a synonym for algorithm The term robot is a shorthand term for any device or algorithm that does things that people used to do.
The rise of the robots
The rise of the robots Should we fear it?
The rise of the robots Should we fear it? Luddite – According to Wikipedia, in 1779, Ned Ludd is supposed to have broken two stocking frames in a fit of rage. A]er this incident, a^acks on the frames were jokingly blamed on Ludd. When the "Luddites" emerged in the 1810s, his idenAty was appropriated to become the folkloric character of Captain Ludd, also known as King Ludd, the Luddites' alleged leader and founder.
The rise of the robots Should we fear it? My answer is an emphaAc No!!
Algorithms are everywhere We live them – but how do we learn about them? We need to learn about them to avoid being exploited. Let’s look at Alibris.com
Biased algorithms Case 1 – biased in our favor
Case 2 – biased against us
The Future • Your boss might be an algorithm – can you name any examples where this might happen?
Your boss as an algorithm • Uber – most of us have used this one • Ly] – might have used this one • Deliveroo
Deliveroo
Algorithmic Management The descripAon was first used at the Carnegie Mellon University Human-Computer InteracAon InsAtute in 2015.
Algorithmic management • Algorithmic management is what makes the gig economy work. • Algorithmic management enables you to instruct, track and evaluate casual workers you do not employ, so they deliver a responsive, seamless, standardized service
Big Data Data comes in that is structured and unstructured. It has • Volume • Velocity • Variety
Data Science • Tools: R, Python, Hadoop, Matlab, SIS, Java, Hive, Gephi, RapidMiner, . . . • Technologies: Data Fusion, Sensor Fusion, AI, BioinformaAcs, CheminformaAcs, Data Mining, Data Forensics, Cyber Security, . . .
Summary • Algorithm or robot • Just a set of instrucAon or formulae, usually implemented on a compute • Underlie everything in the modern world • Algorithmic bias – can work for you or against you
Summary • The future two choices – Work for an algorithm – Build algorithms
Summary • The future two choices – Work for an algorithm – Build algorithms
• My choice is to build algorithms and to understand those that I don’t build
Summary • The future two choices – Work for an algorithm – Build algorithms
• My choice is to build algorithms and to understand those that I don’t build • What’s yours?
