cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/1386796
Archived version: https://archive.ph/F9saW
Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20230812233105/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66472938
You must log in or register to comment.
How did Netflix know I was gay before I did?
Honey
EVERYONE knew
Seriously though, she chose a show that was randomly chosen by the algorithm, she watched it, and more content of that type was suggested to her by the algorithm.
This isn’t quite rocket science.
and more content of that type was suggested
That, or they might have figured it out from her search patterns alone—like how Target figured out that one woman was gregnant before she did.
It was never proven that the baby was Greg’s.
Pregante
They didn’t figure anything out. There’s no sentience in the algorithm, only the creators of said algorithm. It only chose content based on input. So it all revolves around the choices of the article’s author.
Same thing with the woman who was pregnant, the algorithm gave choices based on the user’s browsing history. It made the connection that the choice of product A was also chosen by pregnant mothers, therefore the shopper might be interested in product B which is something an expecting mother would buy.
They didn’t figure anything out.
Ugh, I was agreeing with you, and you go pedant. Come on, you should know “figure out” doesnt necessarily imply sentience. It can also be used synonymously with, “determine.”
Sorry, I misunderstood your tone. Apologize for going all pedantic…it’s a character flaw.
Preguntas
Because you watched stuff that a lot of gay people watched and then watched more stuff the algorithm suggested based on your previous watch history. It’s not magic or anything.
This sort of thing is just gonna happen with recommendation systems. There was a case over a decade ago where Target, the store, figured out that a teenager was pregnant before she told her family, and sent relevant mailings.
It’s possible that this story didn’t happen. Some points raised here highlight some areas we should remain skeptical.
