AI is all over the place and this edition of AtomicIdeas...brings you decision making lessons one can learn from computers.
First of all, if you find this comparison between computers and our problems funny, here is a list of problems we often face..and analogy from computers :)
Sorting (organising emails, entering competitions, organising your kitchen cupboards etc.)
Caching (remembering things or having things easily available),
Communication (messaging)
Searching (finding things quickly)
Hope you get the drift.
The book I am talking about is Algorithms to Live By, by Brian Christian. This is a practical guide to the algorithms we use in our day to day life without even realising it.
Sharing 5 ideas from the book (highly recommended if you have been tinkering with computer science).
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Optimal Stopping
When to stop looking.
Time is an important factor in decision making. There is often a cost to taking too much time when making a decision. Knowing when to stop looking is a huge attribute, but there is an algorithm to it.
A famous optimal stopping problem is the Secretary Problem.
The problem involves finding the best person for a secretary role from n applicants. Each candidate is interviewed in order and after each interview you have to make a decision to hire the candidate or not. The decision is irrevocable - i.e. at what point should you stop interviewing candidates and take the next best applicant you find (even if there is potentially a better one later in the list of applicants).
The best algorithm for solving this problem is only correct 37% of the time - surprisingly low!
How to apply in the ‘secretary problem’ statement
The best stopping rule defines an arbitrary search period where you assess the search space before making any hiring decisions.
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