The Constitution of Algorithms

Algorithms-often associated with the terms big data, machine learning, or artificial intelligence-underlie the technologies we use every day, and disputes over the consequences, actual or potential, of new algorithms arise regularly. In this book, Florian Jaton offers a new way to study computerised methods, providing an account of where algorithms come from and how they are constituted, investigating the practical activities by which algorithms are progressively assembled rather than what they may suggest or require once they are assembled. Series Overview: Inside Technology combines the traditional strengths of the history of technology with the methodology and insights gained in the sociology of scientific knowledge, and thus provides a deeper understanding of the social processes underlying technology. A crucial aspect of the series is the absence of both disciplinary and theoretical agendas. Because of the multifaceted nature of technology, insights from a variety of disciplines are vital to understanding the content and context of technology-engineering, the natural sciences, history, sociology, economics, political science, and anthropology. It does not promote any single conceptual framework over another; rather the goal is to stimulate a variety of perspectives that address the social shaping of technology.