This cartoon is about algorithmic transparency. Today, more and more decisions are being made by algorithms. The logic and functioning of these algorithms is increasingly complex and opaque to people. Today, the new buzzwords are “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning.” AI and machine learning represent a number of different but related things, but what they generally share in common are algorithms. As algorithms become more complex and rely on being fed massive quantities of data, it becomes harder and harder to explain their reasoning. This is a big problem because algorithms play a significant role in our lives by making some very important decisions.
