Speaker: Hal Hodson (The Economist)

Chair: Lucas Kello (University of Oxford)

Accountable Algorithms: How to Make New Tech Work for Society

Digital technology plays a vital role in modern life. The firms of Silicon Valley have built vast revenue streams through offering services which are intangible, but which can, thanks to the internet, scale rapidly. Digital technology moves fast, and it sometimes feels like society cannot keep up. We worry that our elections have been influenced by bad actors, that the information we receive is filtered through systems that do more harm than good. Machine learning allows complex algorithms to be developed and deployed faster than ever. This talk will cover what society can do to understand the algorithms that it relies on, and explain the choice between adaptation to or curtailment of new technology.

About the Speaker:

Hal Hodson is technology correspondent at The Economist. Previously, he worked at New Scientist for three years in Boston and one year in London. At New Scientist, Hal wrote about internet policy and economics, robotics, artificial intelligence, infrastructure and biotechnology. He has reported from abroad, including Bolivia, Mexico, South Korea and Finland. Hal graduated in 2010 from Trinity College Dublin with a degree in astrophysics.

All are welcome. Lunch will be provided at 12.15pm.

Please note that photography will be taking place during this event. By entering and participating you are giving your permission to be photographed and for the University to use the pictures in the future.

Eventbrite processes data (including any personal data you may submit by responding to this invitation) outside of the European Economic Area. Please submit only any personal data which you are happy to have processed in this way, and in accordance with Eventbrite's privacy policy applicable to attendees. If you prefer not to use Eventbrite for responding to this invitation, you may respond directly to ctga-admin@politics.ox.ac.uk.