--- title: "Researcher Warns: Algorithms Are “Using and Even Controlling Us”" description: "In a paper two professors argue that algorithms are already constructing and shaping our reality, whether we're aware of it or not." date: "2019-03-11" modified: "2019-03-11" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/professor-technology-controlling-us" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "algorithms" - "artificial intelligence" - "machines" - "society" --- # Researcher Warns: Algorithms Are “Using and Even Controlling Us” ![In a paper two professors argue that algorithms are already constructing and shaping our reality, whether we're aware of it or not.]() *\Image: yamo23/Victor Tangermann\* ## Algorithmic Reality We're surrounded by algorithms in almost everything we do, from browsing the web to making financial decisions. But do we, as humans, still have a say in the way those algorithms shape our reality? Maybe not, according to new research. "Our exploration led us to the conclusion that, over time, the roles of information technology and humans have been reversed," professor at the Center for Systems Studies at Hull University in Yorkshire England Dionysios Demetis wrote in [an essay]() for *The Conversation*. "In the past, we humans used technology as a tool. Now, technology has advanced to the point where it is using and even controlling us." ## Calling the Shots In the essay, Demetis builds on a [paper]() he published last year with Allen Lee, professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, in the *Journal of the Association for Information Systems*. Rather than having algorithms and machines make decisions that don't affect us in any way, Dementis argues that we are in fact "deeply affected by them in unpredictable ways." And humans made it that way: "we have progressively restricted our own decision-making capacity and allowed algorithms to take over." As evidence, Demetis points to examples from [lawyers being replaced]() by artificial intelligence, recruiters over-relying on third-party tools to [weed out bad candidates](), and the fact that a sizable majority of trading in foreign exchange markets is determined not by humans but by algorithms that call the shots within [tiny fractions of a second](). ## Machine Head That over-reliance on algorithms, according to Demetis, can also result in [market crashes]() — not caused by a "bug in the programming" but learned behavior that "emerged from the interaction of millions of algorithmic decisions playing off each other in unpredictable ways." In fact, humans are an impediment. "The people running the trading system had come to see human decisions as an obstacle to market efficiency," Demetis wrote. Ultimately, the choice to surrender decision making to machines could set us up for a grim future. Worst case scenario: "technological domination," according to Demetis. But it's not too late — yet. "We need to decide, while we still can, what this means for us both as individuals and as a society." **READ MORE:** [Algorithms have already taken over human decision making]() \[*The Conversation*\] **More on algorithms:** *[Tech That Can “Detect Emotion” Could Keep You From Getting a Job]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()