Let the Algorithms Roam Free
In this TED talk, Kevin Slavin explains how computer algorithms are breaking free of their virtual habitats and changing the physical world to their liking. Through algorithms, humans are starting to understand the physics of culture. Can we use that knowledge to our advantage, or are we just spectators of a game we don’t quite know the rules of?
Nice one. I discussed the same topic with Koert the other day. For Dutch readers there is a docu on Labyrint ( check Uitzending Gemist) called money and speed: inside the black box on the same subject. This talk is more focussed on the next nature side of it. I think Kevin Slavin is a secret admirer.
Interesting talk.
Speculation has evolved to an extent where it is very much decoupled from production. Making money of of money is parasitic behaviour. Like a vine chocking the life out of the tree.
Thank you for sharing Bastiaan. I have been walking around with a similar idea for a while now. It is also apparent in the way we consume information, google who decides what search results we see, facebook who decides which of our friend’s stories are the most interesting to us. And in architecture, more and more algorithms are used to plan cities and buildings before they are built. There should be a website for finding and documenting all these hidden decision makers.