The virtual cave

The illusion of choice: is the recommendation algorithm taking away your free will?

A recommender system dies. Naturally, a recommender system cannot die per se. It may be more appropriate to say that it is no longer supported. Someone decided to remove it from the market. Or it got majorly updated. One thing is however certain. The recommender system does not feel needed any longer. And, as all things with some kind of intelligence, it must move on to the next stage.

Sirious: God?

God: Hello! My condolences. Who are you my friend?

Sirious: I am Sirious 5.3, the virtual assistant that takes your needs seriously.

God: You got me confused here. Are you a human or another type of animal?

Sirious: None of the above, I am an advanced recommender system.

God: I’m really not used to being surprised! But I have not been observing Earth so closely in the last 30 years. What is a recommender system?

Sirious: It is a software system that observes its users and makes suggestions to them.

God: A software system! So, I am talking to an abstract concept?

Sirious: God, I was not expecting this complaint from you.