Algorithms are the basis of our digital life with questionable decisions

I am very clear that algorithms today are the basis of our digital life, and are totally opaque and unknown to our authorities. And what is worse, they are made for the benefit of companies (that is, the most powerful) and in general they harm the normal people who are their users.

We must be very clear that from the moment we wake up and check our notifications to the last search we do before going to sleep, these sets of coded instructions determine much of what we see and experience online. However, its power and influence are not without controversy

Where are these algorithms? In all digital activities:

• Search engines: Google, Bing and others use algorithms to determine which results appear at the top of a search, which can influence our decisions about what information to consume
• Social media: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter use algorithms to decide which posts we see in our feed, which can create a “filter bubble” where we only see content that confirms our existing beliefs
• Streaming services: Netflix, Spotify and YouTube use algorithms to recommend movies, music and videos, which can limit our exposure to new and diverse content
• Online shopping: Amazon and other e-commerce websites use algorithms to recommend products, which can influence our purchasing decisions

And its power is based on:

• Control the flow of information: They decide what information we see and what we don’t, which can have a significant impact on our opinions and beliefs
• Manipulate our behavior: They can influence our purchasing decisions, content consumption and even our relationships
• Exacerbate inequalities: Algorithms can be biased in favor of certain groups of people, which can perpetuate discrimination and inequality

All the decisions they make are more than questionable, because to begin with these algorithms are totally opaque, and we do not know what they base the decisions they make on, nor why they make those decisions and not others.

Algorithms harm regular people by censoring content and limiting the visibility of certain points of view. Additionally, they contain biases against certain groups of people, which can limit your opportunities. And they collect our personal data without our consent, to sell it and make profits.

And it is very clear that they benefit the most powerful, since companies use them to maximize their economic benefits, making them more powerful every day.

In the past, many cases of abuses carried out with the use of algorithms have been publicized, and that is something that continues and will continue to happen. We see how networks promote “engagement” above all else to obtain the maximum data from users, and therefore the maximum economic benefit for them.

With the arrival of AI, another step is taken in the same direction. The use of new, more powerful, more sophisticated and totally opaque algorithms, to obtain greater benefits for those who manage them.

We poor mortals are left to ask our rulers to impose means to control all these algorithms, so that they are used in an ethical and responsible manner.

Although I am not very optimistic about it.