3 ms·

Because the algorithm said so.

• mrweasel 5y ago
  Your comment reads as joke, but most likely you're absolutely right, sadly.
• Banana699 5y ago
  Am I the only one finding the popular usage of the word "Algorithm" annoyingly misleading? It's almost certainly the case that companies like Facebook and Google aren't using a single algorithm, but rather a hodgepodge of techniques and components (some of which are neural networks or similar, which are _trained_ using algorithms, and _use_ matrix multiplication and gradient descent algorithms or variants thereof to calculate predictions, but are not themselves "algorithms"). This hodgepodge is not solving a specific, well-defined problem. It's not guaranteed to terminate (the exact opposite actually). It doesn't produce the "correct answer" for every instance of the "problem" class. In virtually every aspect that matter it's not an algorithm. Arbitary programs are not algorithms.
  • dn3500 5y ago
    It's been bothering me too, but it's been several decades since my Algorithms class in grad school and I thought maybe the definition had changed.
  • cosmojg 5y ago
    While semantic debates are undoubtedly a waste of time when we use an ever evolving descriptive language like English, I couldn't help myself. Most dictionaries appear to support OP's usage, and I would argue that it is very intuitive that an alorithm made up of smaller algorithms is still, itself, an algorithm. Google's algorithm for determining whether to ban USENET groups mathematically approximates the problem and computes a solution to that problem in a finite number of steps, frequently involving repetition. Even if it didn't fit those specific requirements, however, it would still qualify under the broader definition of "algorithm" in common usage. See Merriam-Webster's definition of algorithm: : a procedure for solving a mathematical problem (as of finding the greatest common divisor) in a finite number of steps that frequently involves repetition of an operation broadly : a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end "There are several search engines, with Google, Yahoo and Bing being the biggest players. Each search engine has its own proprietary computation (called an "algorithm") that ranks websites for each keyword or combination of keywords." — Julie Brinton "… sometimes you solve a problem by coming up with an algorithm of some kind. But sometimes you solve a problem in a very ad hoc sort of way." — William H. Huggins
    • cosmojg 5y ago
      Well, now I'm feeling nostalgic. This little discourse brings back memories of the good old days on comp.lang.* and elsewhere on USENET and other ancient fora. ;)
    • Banana699 5y ago
      At the risk of sounding like I would want to die on this hill (I am certainly annoyed, but anybody can use any word to mean anything they want as long as a certain number of other people agree. I think I understand how natural language works), but this statment > I would argue that it is very intuitive that an alorithm made up of smaller algorithms is still, itself, an algorithm is very unconvincing. Here's an "Algorithm" - compute the square root of 5 - for each number from 1 to n do 5 times : compute the square root of 5 times that number plus 19 - output the square root of 9 to the screen Are you willing to accept this sequence of steps as an algorithm? I am not. And this sequence is even more of an algorithm than Google's products, at least it guarantees termination, correctly solves every instance of a (extremely artifical and meaningless) problem, and is effectively calculable (Google's and Facebook systems frequently need humans to decide or amend decisions, and the decisions are often arbitary and value-based). Neither of these things is guaranteed for Google's "algorithms". >Most dictionaries appear to support OP's usage I never said that this confusion isn't popular or documented in dictionaries and literature everywhere, the exact opposite in fact. I said I am annoyed that it is popular. Programs and Algorithms are different, and the difference is as meaningful and useful as the difference between "Writings" and "Poems".
  • dredmorbius 5y ago
    The AI/ML meaning of "algorithm" (a computationally-derived heuristic for search or filtering) is not the mathematical sense (a precise formula providing an exact solution to a given problem). But in the sense that an opaque, poorly-understood, by either users or the Internet monopolists themselves, black box has made yet another inscruitable, unanswerable, decision which cannot be explained or described, the phrase is accurate. Over the past decade, I've observed that Google's own staff can increasingly not answer why specific actions occur. The solution seems to be to tweak the training data and/or desired results set. Given the gradual extirpation of computer-language dedicated Usenet groups, this process seems at best slow, if not utterly futile. It's not "an arbitrary program" either, at least not strictly, as the process is itself the end-result of a specific set of steps and processes. That happen to involve machine-learning and AI. Pointedly, the decision isn't one that's based on a human agent, review board, or process. If you'd prefer, "because a machine-learning based AI said so" would be more accurate. But it's also more of a mouthful. Any alternate language you'd prefer?
    • mananaysiempre 5y ago
      I (not the grandparent) would prefer “the heuristic”, which feels like it gives an accurate impression of how well-founded and transparently derived the decision is... But maybe it instead shows how confused I am about how, why and in which sense ML actually solves problems (tremendously so).
      • dredmorbius 5y ago
        Oh, I get that. The horse has flown that can of worms, however.