Instructor:
We have entered the era of “Big Data”, where enormous data sets are collected and mined for information. Algorithms identify patterns to make predictions and design “smart” solutions in areas as diverse as banking and finance, law enforcement, marketing, and medicine. Big Data is behind the advertisements that populate social media feeds. Uber uses algorithms to determine and keep up with predicted demand. Despite the best of intentions, the explosion of Big Data in modern life has had insidious consequences (e.g. predictive policing, loan applications, to name a few). Data doesn’t die, and you can’t hide. In this engagements course we will discuss the consequences of allowing algorithms and models to run unchecked, as they can increase social inequity and also be outright wrong. How can we avoid misusing mathematical concepts? How can we avoid being wrong?