What can big data do for us—and to us? The gargantuan volume of information gleanable from every digital move we make can be seen as a key to social progress and an exploitative tool. Either way, the increase in applications of cyber technologies and mass data across all aspects of life is changing the world.
A new series of Stanford webcasts, Raw Data, explores the implications of these changes through conversations with campus experts and others. The first four episodes cover the prospects and pitfalls for social science, medicine, employment conditions and financial transactions.
One discussion points out that the online workforce is growing and asks how effective teamwork can be in that venue, and whether algorithms, as opposed to human agents, can make sound and fair decisions about workload or flow. Another session explains the ins and outs of bitcoin.
The series—with more episodes in the works—is a joint project of the global leadership program Worldview Stanford and the Stanford Cyber Initiative, and is available free on iTunes and SoundCloud.
