Algorithms explained
Algorithms come in all shapes and sizes. From simple 'recipes' to advanced, self-learning systems. Think of the system of a self-driving car. Both companies and the government now use algorithms on a large scale, often to (partially) automate certain decisions.
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Using advanced algorithms can offer advantages. By extracting patterns from data, the healthcare sector, for example, can gain more insight into the progression of diseases. Self-learning algorithms and generative AI also offer all kinds of opportunities.
However, there are also risks entailed. Algorithms are often used to make automated decisions. One of the risks of this is the possibility of an unfair or biased decision or even discrimination.
Algorithms and AI often process personal data. This means that the use of algorithms must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), just like all other processing of personal data. The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP), the Dutch data protection authority, supervises this.
