# The efficiency trap: why optimising everything can backfire, badly

- Source: The Guardian · AI
- Published: 2026-11-08T12:00:39.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/m4etedde5nw4vzadayhzf4vg3
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/nov/08/the-efficiency-trap-why-optimising-everything-can-backfire-badly

## Summary

Columnist 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. It warns that AI, which is built by optimisation, could make these traps more dangerous, including through interactions among swarms of AI agents.