[SIGCIS-Members] Algorithms vs Logarithms

[Ceruzzi, Paul]

My original post on the misuse of the term was published in the Washington Post "Free for all" section last Saturday.  But I still feel that the Post does its readers a disservice by not being more precise. On the plus side, the on-line version has a link to "The Blob"-- the 1958 movie that seems to express our fears of algorithms very well.

Pul Ceruzzi
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/05/free-for-all-letters-be-clear-about-what-an-algorithm-is/
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/QZQ45OB25II6ZPLP3I3W6RZQJY.jpg&w=1440]<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/05/free-for-all-letters-be-clear-about-what-an-algorithm-is/>
Opinion | Readers critique The Post: Be clear about what an ‘algorithm’ is - The Washington Post<https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/05/free-for-all-letters-be-clear-about-what-an-algorithm-is/>
Every week, The Post runs a collection of letters of readers’ grievances — pointing out grammatical mistakes, missing coverage and inconsistencies. These letters tell us what we did wrong and ...
www.washingtonpost.com

________________________________
From: Members <members-bounces at lists.sigcis.org> on behalf of MikeWillegal <mike at willegal.net>
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2021 1:02 PM
To: thomas.haigh at gmail.com <thomas.haigh at gmail.com>
Cc: Sigcis <members at sigcis.org>
Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Algorithms vs Logarithms


External Email - Exercise Caution

This reminds me of some stories I’ve heard from peace corps volunteers about the beliefs of some people that they lived with.  I guess when it comes to things that they don’t understand, people throughout history have been shown to be very vulnerable to the power of suggestion.

-Mike Willegal


On Nov 12, 2021, at 11:52 AM, <thomas.haigh at gmail.com<mailto:thomas.haigh at gmail.com>> <thomas.haigh at gmail.com<mailto:thomas.haigh at gmail.com>> wrote:

Hello SIGCIS,

As the eyes of the world turn towards my own region of SE Wisconsin for the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse (the cosplaying militia wannabe teen who shot and killed two unarmed demonstrators in Kenosha last summer) we get a glimpse of how deeply suspicion of algorithms has permeated general awareness and of how little they are sometimes understood.

According to this article from The Verge:  https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/10/22775580/kyle-rittenhouse-trial-judge-apple-ai-pinch-to-zoom-footage-manipulation-claim<https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theverge.com%2F2021%2F11%2F10%2F22775580%2Fkyle-rittenhouse-trial-judge-apple-ai-pinch-to-zoom-footage-manipulation-claim&data=04%7C01%7Cceruzzip%40si.edu%7C79865ed2b4c942b7014808d9a606fde6%7C989b5e2a14e44efe93b78cdd5fc5d11c%7C0%7C0%7C637723371963946012%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=HuH9ENkNM3pN0U2F5x1pM0hUD0XiJ5OZKxxiyiLOOgs%3D&reserved=0> the defense yesterday made a successful argument to the judge that the zoom feature on an iPad video showing the killings should not be used in court on the grounds that it involved artificial intelligence and “logarithms.” Yes, LOGARITHMS. The things some of you may remember looking up in tables to add together to find approximate answers when multiplying large numbers.


“iPads, which are made by Apple, have artificial intelligence in them that allow things to be viewed through three-dimensions and logarithms,” the defense insisted. “It uses artificial intelligence, or their logarithms, to create what they believe is happening. So this isn’t actually enhanced video, this is Apple’s iPad programming creating what it thinks is there, not what necessarily is there,” they added.



According to the story, the judge deferred to this argument:


Judge Schroeder argued that it was the prosecution — not the defense — that had the burden of proving that Apple doesn’t use artificial intelligence to manipulate footage, demanding that they provide an expert to testify, and didn’t allow the prosecution to adjourn to find that expert before bringing Rittenhouse up for cross-examination.



Meanwhile, I stumbled on a nice analysis of the extent to which the word “algorithm” is understood my many to imply some connection to machine learning in this short article by Kristian Lum and Rumman Chowdhury: https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/02/26/1020007/what-is-an-algorithm/<https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.technologyreview.com%2F2021%2F02%2F26%2F1020007%2Fwhat-is-an-algorithm%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cceruzzip%40si.edu%7C79865ed2b4c942b7014808d9a606fde6%7C989b5e2a14e44efe93b78cdd5fc5d11c%7C0%7C0%7C637723371963946012%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=kwJb5cm1IL1f%2BttrsW2doNpN13YTfHCmDo8%2FRqUquFs%3D&reserved=0>.

Can it be long until we see products sold as “algorithm free”? Or, possible, “logarithm free.”

Tom


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