Algorithms of Anxiety

Algorithms of Anxiety explores the widely held belief that machine learning algorithms promise relief from the crippling burdens of anxiety. The digital revolution is heralded as the dawn of a brave new world where individuals, communities, and organisations can seemingly take control of the future with a level of precision verging on mathematical exactitude.

Yet, paradoxically, these algorithms have ushered in widespread fears and forebodings about the impact of digital technologies. Whether it’s concerns over unemployment, distress regarding social media’s harmful effects on teenagers, or fear of intrusive digital surveillance, we find ourselves living in an era of turbo-charged anxiety. In this age, the predictions made by algorithms are increasingly entangled with fundamental disruptions and anxieties about what lies ahead.

In Algorithms of Anxiety, Anthony Elliott delves into how machine learning algorithms are not only transforming global institutions but also reshaping our personal lives. His analysis spans a broad spectrum of subjects, including ChatGPT, Amazon, the Metaverse, Martin Ford, Netflix, Uber, Bernard Stiegler, Squid Game, Kate Crawford, LaMDA, Byung-Chul Han, autonomous drones, Jean Baudrillard, and even the automation of warfare.

Elliott challenges the notion that new technologies must be adopted to lead fulfilling lives, postulating that people may be as much enthralled as they are inspired by the outsourcing of personal decision-making to smart machines.