Government by algorithm: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:50, 21 July 2025

Revision as of 18:54, 21 July 2025

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Since the 2000s, algorithms have been designed and used to [[Closed-circuit television#Computer-controlled analytics and identification|automatically analyze surveillance videos]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sodemann |first1=Angela A. |last2=Ross |first2=Matthew P. |last3=Borghetti |first3=Brett J. |title=A Review of Anomaly Detection in Automated Surveillance |journal=IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics – Part C: Applications and Reviews|date=November 2012 |volume=42 |issue=6 |pages=1257–1272 |doi=10.1109/TSMCC.2012.2215319|s2cid=15466712}}</ref>

In his 2006 book ''Virtual Migration'', [[A. Aneesh]] developed the concept of algocracy — information technologies constrain human participation in public decision making.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kelty |first1=Christopher |title=Explaining IT |journal=Political and Legal Anthropology Review |date=2009 |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=156–160 |doi=10.1111/j.1555-2934.2009.01035.x |jstor=24497537 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24497537 |access-date=26 January 2022 |issn=1081-6976|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Danaher |first1=John |title=The Threat of Algocracy: Reality, Resistance and Accommodation |journal=Philosophy & Technology |date=September 2016 |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=245–268 |doi=10.1007/s13347-015-0211-1 |s2cid=146674621 |url=https://philarchive.org/rec/DANTTO-13 }}</ref> Aneesh differentiated algocratic systems from bureaucratic systems (legal-rational regulation) as well as market-based systems (price-based regulation).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Aneesh |first1=A. |title=Virtual Migration: the Programming of Globalization. |date=2006 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-3669-3 |url=https://www.dukeupress.edu/Virtual-Migration/ |archive-date=2022-04-14 |access-date=2020-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414082217/https://www.dukeupress.edu/virtual-migration |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2013, algorithmic regulation was coined by [[Tim O'Reilly]], founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media Inc.:

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===Justice by algorithm===

Judges' decisions in Australia are supported by the [[Split Up (expert system)|"Split Up" software]] in cases of determining the percentage of a split after a [[divorce]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stranieri |first1=Andrew |last2=Zeleznikow |first2=John |title=Proceedings of the fourth international conference on Information and knowledge management – CIKM '95 |chapter=Levels of reasoning as the basis for a formalisation of argumentation |date=2 December 1995 |pages=333–339 |doi=10.1145/221270.221608 |chapter-url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/221270.221608 |access-date=5 February 2022 |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery|isbn=0897918126 |s2cid=12179742 }}</ref> [[COMPAS (software)|COMPAS]] software is used in the USA to assess the risk of [[recidivism]] in courts.<ref>{{cite news |title=A computer program used for bail and sentencing decisions was labeled biased against blacks. It's actually not that clear. |author=Sam Corbett-Davies |author2=Emma Pierson |author3=Avi Feller |author4=Sharad Goel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/10/17/can-an-algorithm-be-racist-our-analysis-is-more-cautious-than-propublicas/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=October 17, 2016 |access-date=January 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |author=Aaron M. Bornstein |title=Are Algorithms Building the New Infrastructure of Racism? |magazine=[[Nautilus (science magazine)|Nautilus]] |date=December 21, 2017 |url=http://nautil.us/issue/55/trust/are-algorithms-building-the-new-infrastructure-of-racism |access-date=January 2, 2018 |issue=55 |archive-date=January 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103011728/http://nautil.us/issue/55/trust/are-algorithms-building-the-new-infrastructure-of-racism |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to the statement of Beijing Internet Court, China is the first country to create an internet court or cyber court.<ref name=internetcourt>{{cite web |title=Beijing Internet Court launches online litigation service center |url=https://english.bjinternetcourt.gov.cn/2019-07/01/c_190.htm |website=english.bjinternetcourt.gov.cn |access-date=13 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=China Now Has AI-Powered Judges |url=https://radiichina.com/china-now-has-ai-powered-robot-judges/ |access-date=13 April 2020 |work=RADII {{!}} Culture, Innovation, and Life in today's China |date=16 August 2019 |archive-date=14 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614083802/https://radiichina.com/china-now-has-ai-powered-robot-judges/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fish |first1=Tom |title=AI shock: China unveils 'cyber court' complete with AI judges and verdicts via chat app |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1214019/ai-china-cyber-court-artificial-intelligence-judges-verdicts-chat-app |access-date=13 April 2020 |work=Express.co.uk |date=6 December 2019}}</ref> The Chinese AI judge is a [[virtual actor|virtual recreation]] of an actual female judge. She "will help the court's judges complete repetitive basic work, including litigation reception, thus enabling professional practitioners to focus better on their trial work".<ref name=internetcourt/> Also, [[Estonia]] plans to employ artificial intelligence to decide small-claim cases of less than €7,000.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Can AI Be a Fair Judge in Court? Estonia Thinks So |url=https://www.wired.com/story/can-ai-be-fair-judge-court-estonia-thinks-so/ |access-date=13 April 2020 |magazine=Wired}}</ref>

[[Lawbot]]s can perform tasks that are typically done by paralegals or young associates at law firms. One such technology used by US law firms to assist in legal research is from ROSS Intelligence,<ref>"ROSS Intelligence Lands Another Law Firm Client." The American Lawyer. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2017. https://www.americanlawyer.com/id=1202769384977/ROSS-Intelligence-Lands-Another-Law-Firm-Client .</ref> and others vary in sophistication and dependence on scripted [[algorithm]]s.<ref>CodeX Techindex. Stanford Law School, n.d. Web. 16 June 2017. <https://techindex.law.stanford.edu/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331081439/https://techindex.law.stanford.edu/ |date=2022-03-31 }}>.</ref> Another legal technology [[chatbot]] application is [[DoNotPay]].

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In Cannes, France, monitoring software has been used on footage shot by [[CCTV]] cameras, allowing to monitor their compliance to local [[social distancing]] and [[Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic|mask wearing]] during the COVID-19 pandemic. The system does not store identifying data, but rather allows to alert city authorities and police where breaches of the mask and mask wearing rules are spotted (allowing [[Fine (penalty)|fining]] to be carried out where needed). The algorithms used by the monitoring software can be incorporated into existing surveillance systems in public spaces (hospitals, stations, airports, shopping centres, ...) <ref>{{cite news |date=May 4, 2020 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52529981|title=Coronavirus France: Cameras to monitor masks and social distancing|work=BBC News}}</ref>

Cellphone data is used to locate infected patients in South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and other countries.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Manancourt |first1=Vincent |title=Coronavirus tests Europe's resolve on privacy |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/coronavirus-tests-europe-resolve-on-privacy-tracking-apps-germany-italy/ |access-date=20 March 2020 |work=Politico |date=10 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/28/tech/korea-coronavirus-tracking-apps/index.html|title=Coronavirus mobile apps are surging in popularity in South Korea|author1=Ivan Watson |author2=Sophie Jeong |website=CNN|date=28 February 2020 }}</ref> In March 2020, the Israeli government enabled security agencies to track mobile phone data of people supposed to have coronavirus. The measure was taken to enforce quarantine and protect those who may come into contact with infected citizens.<ref>{{cite news|last=Tidy|first=Joe|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51930681|title=Coronavirus: Israel enables emergency spy powers|date=17 March 2020|work=BBC News|access-date=18 March 2020}}</ref> Also in March 2020, [[Deutsche Telekom]] shared private cellphone data with the federal government agency, [[Robert Koch Institute]], in order to research and prevent the spread of the virus.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Paksoy |first1=Yunus |title=German telecom giant shares private data with government amid privacy fears |url=https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/german-telecom-giant-shares-private-data-with-government-amid-privacy-fears-34665 |access-date=20 March 2020 |agency=trtworld |archive-date=20 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320100247/https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/german-telecom-giant-shares-private-data-with-government-amid-privacy-fears-34665 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Russia deployed [[Facial recognition system|facial recognition technology]] to detect quarantine breakers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Moscow deploys facial recognition technology for coronavirus quarantine |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-moscow-technology-idUSKBN20F1RZ |access-date=20 March 2020 |work=Reuters |date=21 February 2020}}</ref> Italian regional health commissioner [[Giulio Gallera]] said that "40% of people are continuing to move around anyway", as he has been informed by mobile phone operators.<ref>{{cite news |title=Italians scolded for flouting lockdown as death toll nears 3,000 |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2020/03/18/Italy-coronavirus-475-deaths-one-day-death-toll-2978-COVID-19-doctors/stories/202003180182 |access-date=20 March 2020 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette}}</ref> In USA, Europe and UK, [[Palantir Technologies]] is taken in charge to provide COVID-19 tracking services.<ref>{{cite news |title=Palantir provides COVID-19 tracking software to CDC and NHS, pitches European health agencies |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/01/palantir-coronavirus-cdc-nhs-gotham-foundry/ |access-date=22 April 2020 |work=TechCrunch}}</ref>

===Prevention and management of environmental disasters===

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There are potential risks associated with the use of algorithms in government. Those include:

* [[Algorithmic bias|algorithms becoming susceptible to bias]],<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=https://ash.harvard.edu/files/ash/files/artificial_intelligence_for_citizen_services.pdf|title=Artificial Intelligence for Citizen Services and Government|last=Mehr|first=Hila|date=August 2017|website=ash.harvard.edu|access-date=2018-12-31}}</ref>

* a lack of transparency in how an algorithm may make decisions,<ref name=":6">{{cite web|url=https://www.capgemini.com/consulting/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2017/10/ai-in-public-sector.pdf|title=Unleashing the potential of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector|last=Capgemini Consulting|date=2017|website=www.capgemini.com|access-date=2018-12-31|archive-date=2019-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101145156/https://www.capgemini.com/consulting/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2017/10/ai-in-public-sector.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

* the accountability for any such decisions.<ref name=":6" />

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* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsz6Zw1BkTg Algorithmic Government] by Prof. Philip C. Treleaven of [[University College London]]

* [https://ash.harvard.edu/files/ash/files/artificial_intelligence_for_citizen_services.pdf Artificial Intelligence for Citizen Services and Government] by Hila Mehr of [[Harvard University]]

* [https://eticasfoundation.org/oasi/register/ The OASI Register] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241106054417/https://eticasfoundation.org/oasi/register/ |date=2024-11-06 }}, algorithms with social impact

* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11279794/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1 ''iHuman''] (Documentary, 2019) by [[Tonje Hessen Schei]]

* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20210628064819/https://motivatingspeech.com/how-blockchain-can-transform-india-jaspreet-bindra/ How Blockchain can transform India: Jaspreet Bindra]}}