Why the A-levels fiasco is the tip of the iceberg

In the past week the Education Secretary has defended the use of an algorithm to produce A-level grades, categorically ruled out a U-turn and then completed said U-turn. But what if this is just the most high-profile example of algorithms creeping into our everyday lives?Guests: Steven Swinford, deputy political editor, The Times.Timandra Harkness, author of Big Data, Does Size Matter?Host: David Aaronovitch. Clips: BBC News, Evening Standard, Sky News, Times Radio.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In the past week the Education Secretary has defended the use of an algorithm to produce A-level grades, categorically ruled out a U-turn and then completed said U-turn. But what if this is just the most high-profile example of algorithms creeping into our everyday lives?Guests: Steven Swinford, deputy political editor, The Times.Timandra Harkness, author of Big Data, Does Size Matter?Host: David Aaronovitch. Clips: BBC News, Evening Standard, Sky News, Times Radio.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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This episode was published on August 20, 2020.

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