The efficiency trap: why optimising everything can backfire, badly
AIColumnist argues that optimising a system for efficiency can weaken its robustness, narrow its definition of "best", and cause conflicts between automated processes. The article cites England's hospital beds, which were about 95% occupied at last year's flu peak, and the 2010 US flash crash in which an automated program's sale of 75,000 futures contracts triggered market-wide turmoil.
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The Guardian · AI · Steven Strogatz and Alex Townsend · theguardian.comPublished · added here