Episode description

Algorithms have become a ubiquitous part of modern lives. They suggest films on streaming services, vet loans for approval, shortlist job candidates, even help decide prison sentences and medical care. But there are questions over the way they are applied. The banking giant Goldman Sachs faced criticism after it was alleged that an algorithm used to determine people's credit score was sexist because it gave women a lower credit limit to men. An algorithm used to allocate health care in the United States was accused of bias against black patients. And this week a supreme court judge in Britain called for the creation of a commission to regulate algorithms. So how did the world become so dependent on algorithms and how are they changing people's lives? Paul Henley and a panel of expert guests discuss how algorithms are shaping the modern world.