Behavioural Biases

Heuristics or mental shortcuts help humans survive data overloads. Instead of aiming for zero-bias artificial intelligence (AI), let’s aim to minimize the harms caused by biases. Trade-offs need to be embraced.

Human behaviour is an enduring mystery. Our conscious mind has far less control of decisions and actions than we like to think. And this has profound effects on almost every aspect of our behaviour.

Technology creation doesn’t amount to adoption. As with the automobile industry long ago, artificial intelligence must turn truly consumer-focused for its positives to outweigh negatives in popular perception.

A lot that’s said is well-intentioned nonsense. To inoculate ourselves from doing it, we must use simple language, empathize with other people, not take ourselves too seriously, and be kind.

Geetanjali Shree’s fiction and social media celeb leaders of this age cohort, like Zeenat Aman and Lisa Ray, are tackling a widely normalized form of ‘othering’ that needs to be resisted.

Careers that endure are typically not spectacular. This is so in national level politics as well as in other fields like business or sports.

A loss or an opportunity loss need not be a mistake. What matters is whether the process of taking that decision was alright on the information available at the time. A wrong call can have a good outcome and vice-versa.