If Algorithms Know All, How Much Should Humans Help? - NYTimes.com

A different kind of storytelling

"But the stakes are rising as the methods and mind-set of data science spread across the economy and society. Big companies and start-ups are beginning to use the technology in decisions like medical diagnosis, crime prevention and loan approvals. The application of data science to such fields raises questions of when close human supervision of an algorithm’s results is needed.

These questions are spurring a branch of academic study known as algorithmic accountability. Public interest and civil rights organizations are scrutinizing the implications of data science, both the pitfalls and the potential. In the foreword to a report last September, “Civil Rights, Big Data and Our Algorithmic Future,” Wade Henderson, president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, wrote, “Big data can and should bring greater safety, economic opportunity and convenience to all people.”"

If Algorithms Know All, How Much Should Humans Help? - NYTimes.com