How human curation came back to clean up AI's messes

Last month, HBO launched a handy website for figuring out which of its original shows to watch. But instead of using computer algorithms to sort through its vast catalog, the company hired people to make their case for each series by making video testimonials. The site, called "Recommended by Humans," is more marketing stunt than product strategy--HBO has no plans to offer an app-based version for mobile or TV devices, and it declined to say how humans might factor into its forthcoming HBO Max service. But its very existence was a statement about our current moment in tech. We've realized that recommendation algorithms aren't as infallible as tech companies once made them out to be, and that handing the curation job to people still has value.