"It's a joy to read a book by a mathematician who knows how to write. [...] There is no better guide to the strategies and stakes of this battle for the future." ---Paul Romer, Nobel Laureate, University Professor in Economics at NYU, and former Chief Economist at the World Bank. "By explaining the flaws and foibles of everything from Google search to QAnon-and by providing level-headed evaluations of efforts to fix them-Noah Giansiracusa offers the perfect starting point for anyone entering the maze of modern digital media." -Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and contributing editor of The Atlantic From deepfakes to GPT-3, deep learning is now powering a new assault on our ability to tell what's real and what's not, bringing a whole new algorithmic side to fake news. On the other hand, remarkable methods are being developed to help automate fact-checking and the detection of fake news and doctored media. Success in the modern business world requires you to understand these algorithmic currents, and to recognize the strengths, limits, and impacts of deep learning---especially when it comes to discerning the truth and differentiating fact from fiction. This book tells the stories of this algorithmic battle for the truth and how it impacts individuals and society at large. In doing so, it weaves together the human stories and what's at stake here, a simplified technical background on how these algorithms work, and an accessible survey of the research literature exploring these various topics. How Algorithms Create and Prevent Fake News is an accessible, broad account of the various ways that data-driven algorithms have been distorting reality and rendering the truth harder to grasp. From news aggregators to Google searches to YouTube recommendations to Facebook news feeds, the way we obtain information today is filtered through the lens of tech giant algorithms. The way data is collected, labelled, and stored has a big impact on the machine learning algorithms that are trained on it, and this is a main source of algorithmic bias - which gets amplified in harmful data feedback loops. Don't be afraid: with this book you'll see the remedies and technical solutions that are being applied to oppose these harmful trends. There is hope. What You Will Learn The ways that data labeling and storage impact machine learning and how feedback loops can occur The history and inner-workings of YouTube's recommendation algorithm The state-of-the-art capabilities of AI-powered text generation (GPT-3) and video synthesis/doctoring (deepfakes) and how these technologies have been used so far The algorithmic tools available to help with automated fact-checking and truth-detection Who This Book is For People who don't have a technical background (in data, computers, etc.) but who would like to learn how algorithms impact society; business leaders who want to know the powers and perils of relying on artificial intelligence. A secondary audience is people with a technical background who want to explore the larger social and societal impact of their work.

In today’s data-driven world, maths is a weapon wielded by banks, insurance companies, tech firms, and government agencies. These organizations use sophisticated algorithms to calculate odds, make predictions, uncover patterns, manage risk, and optimize actions. And they treat you as another number to crunch along the way.

Robin Hood Maths explains the mathematical methods these companies and agencies use to manipulate and profit off of you. It’s easy to assume these algorithms are too complex to even understand, let alone use for yourself. But maths professor Noah Giansiracusa makes the compelling case that anyone can use these same methods, without any special training or advanced knowledge. He offers simple hacks and streamlined formulas for beating the number crunchers at their own game.

With Professor Giansiracusa as your guide, you’ll learn how to use maths to rescue your credit score and make better investments, take control of your social media, and reclaim agency over the decisions you make every day. In a society designed to take from the poor and give to the rich, maths has the potential to be a powerful democratizing force. Robin Hood Maths gives you the tools you need to think for yourself, act in your own best interest, and thrive.