Weapons of Math Destruction
We live in the age of the algorithm. Increasingly, the decisions that affect our lives are being made not by humans, but by machines. In theory, this should lead to greater fairness: Everyone is judged according to the same rules. But as Weapons of Math Destruction reveals, the mathematical models being used today are unregulated and uncontestable, even when they’re wrong. Most troubling, they reinforce discrimination—propping up the lucky, punishing the downtrodden, and undermining our democracy in the process.
Praise for Weapons of Math Destruction
“O’Neil’s book offers a frightening look at how algorithms are increasingly regulating people. Her knowledge of the power and risks of mathematical models, coupled with a gift for analogy, makes her one of the most valuable observers of the continuing weaponization of big data. [She] does a masterly job explaining the pervasiveness and risks of the algorithms that regulate our lives.”
— The New York Times Book Review
"Weapons of Math Destruction is the Big Data story Silicon Valley proponents won't tell. [It] pithily exposes flaws in how information is used to assess everything from creditworthiness to policing tactics. A thought-provoking read for anyone inclined to believe that data doesn't lie.”
— Reuters
“This is a manual for the twenty-first-century citizen, and it succeeds where other big data accounts have failed—it is accessible, refreshingly critical and feels relevant and urgent.”
“A nuanced reminder that big data is only as good as the people wielding it.”
— Wired
“Indispensable Despite the technical complexity of its subject, Weapons of Math Destruction lucidly guides readers through these complex modeling systems. O’Neil’s book is an excellent primer on the ethical and moral risks of Big Data and an algorithmically dependent world. For those curious about how Big Data can help them and their businesses, or how it has been reshaping the world around them, Weapons of Math Destruction is an essential starting place.”
— National Post
“O’Neil has become [a whistle-blower] for the world of Big Data [in] her important new book. Her work makes particularly disturbing points about how being on the wrong side of an algorithmic decision can snowball in incredibly destructive ways.”
— Time