Algorithms and data – what does the future hold? Chips with Everything podcast

Can the messy and complex world we live in be reduced to algorithms? And should we even try? Mathematician and lecturer Hannah Fry attempts to answer all this and more

"Algorithm", once an academic term used by mathematicians and scientists, has entered the general lexicon thanks to today's quickly evolving technology-driven society. Algorithms are an integral and increasingly pervasive part of our existence in the modern world. But are they becoming too pervasive? And could they ever truly capture what it means to be human?

To try to answer all this and more, Jordan Erica Webber hears from mathematician and author Hannah Fry, whose latest book, Hello World, asks what it means to be human in the age of the algorithm. Joining producer Max in the studio, they discuss the role big data plays, what algorithms might teach us about humanity, and the role these systems might play in health - both good and bad.