A pair of researchers, Ujué Agudo and Helena Matute of Universidad de Deusto in Spain, recently published a fascinating study demonstrating how easy it is to influence humans with algorithms. Up front: The basic takeaway from the work is that people tend to do what the algorithm says. Whether they’re being influenced to vote for a specific candidate based on an algorithmic recommendation or being funneled toward the perfect date on an app, we’re dangerously easy to influence with basic psychology and rudimentary AI. The big deal: We like to think we’re agents of order making informed decisions in a somewhat…
This story continues at The Next Web