Algorithms: The Future That Already Happened - Los Angeles Review of Books

ONE DAY IN LATE MARCH, Microsoft made a chatbot named Tay. Tay began the day tweeting love to everyone. A few hours later, Tay was quoting Adolf Hitler and offering filthy sex on demand. To borrow a phrase from John Green, Tay fell in love with Hitler and filthy sex the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. That's because Tay learned from humans, and humans are awful.