We live in the era of algorithm. Invisible, omnipresent, these sets of mathematical instructions mold our day-to-day life that we often do not know. From the online purchase recommendations to the news we read, through the routes we draw on the GPS, the algorithms are weaving the plot of our digital reality.
But do we really understand their power and scope? Are they tools at our service or have we become, without realizing, puppets of its silent reign?
For those who do not know, the word "algorithm" has a rich history. It comes from the name of the Persian mathematician of the ninth century, Muḥammad Ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī, author of an influential treaty on numbers and equations. What began as a method to solve mathematical problems has evolved to become the cornerstone of the digital era. Today, algorithms are the engine of artificial intelligence, promoting its rapid development and permeating every corner of our connected life.
It’s ascent began with relatively simple tasks, such as product recommendations. We have all experienced that subtle online persuasion: "Other people also bought ...". A marketing strategy disguised as useful suggestion, orchestrated by an algorithm that analyzes our shopping history and predicts our desires. Pure digital magic, or rather, pure mathematics.
But the thing doesn't stay there. The true revolution lies in the amount of information that these algorithms have about us. In a hyperconnected world, our mobiles and computers are open windows to our lives. Where are we going, what do we do, who we talk to, what do we say ... everything is registered, analyzed and processed by increasingly sophisticated algorithms. And this information is the fuel that feeds its growing power.
Today, algorithms not only recommend products, but also filter the information we receive, customize our online experience to unsuspected limits. If we enter a news portal, the algorithm will show us those that "knows" that they interest us, regardless of their veracity or journalistic rigor. If we look for a product, it will offer us personalized "offers", anticipating our needs. A hyper-directed marketing, orchestrated by machines that know us better than ourselves.
And although we know that free tools are not really free, that their price is our information, comfort and usefulness they offer make it difficult to resist. We all use them, ending the data cycle that promotes the learning of these algorithms.
But the key question remains: who controls who? Are we who use algorithms, or are they the ones who use us? The line is increasingly diffuse. The algorithms make decisions for us, from the routes that we follow to the news we read, shaping our perception of reality and, ultimately, influencing our decisions.
This power entails a great responsibility. It is crucial to understand how these algorithms work, what data they use and how they influence our lives. We must demand transparency and control over the information we share and how it is used. It is not about demonizing technology, but also using it in a responsible and conscious way, avoiding falling into the trap of comfort at the expense of our autonomy.
The future is written in code, and algorithms are its architects. It depends on us to ensure that this future is one in which technology is at the service of humanity, and not vice versa. We must learn to live with these silent teachers, to understand their mechanisms and to establish clear limits, so that their reign is one of collaboration and not submission.
The challenge is raised. Will we live up to it? Let me doubt it.
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