Colonization by Algorithms in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Data gathering and information processing have evolved to where it is almost unfathomable how much exists in digital form today. The generation thereof also no longer involves an explicit instruction from human to machine but can happen in real-time without human intervention. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cognitive computing are being utilized to mine data from a variety of sources. One such (profitable) source is human beings. Digital algorithms are designed to harness the power of technology to gather information. There has always been a sense of secrecy regarding some information (classified, top secret, confidential, etc.) but the Fourth Industrial Revolution has created the means to gather extremely large amounts of data, unknown to its sources. Anthropological value systems should become a fundamental foundation of digital algorithms. Such an approach could prevent software from exploiting its sources, especially minorities. Value systems together with ethics are guided by people’s culture. In ethically aligned algorithm design, value systems and digital technologies intersect and govern how algorithms are developed, the way data is engaged, and further the discipline of digital humanities.