[nerdponx]

The rationale offered is that automated decision-making will be more reliable. But a further attraction is that it serves to insulate various forms of power from popular pressures.

Who in their right mind would argue that? The benefit is that it's a lot faster. If machine learning worked as well as mechanical engineering, we would have a serious industrial revolution on our hands.

[avmich]

> If machine learning worked as well as mechanical engineering, we would have a serious industrial revolution on our hands.

True, but it can be non-obvious that algorithms can produce such problems.

Also an unexpected result from an algorithm can be compared to an unexpected result from an application of law, including a consequence of a contract. Like one can complain that an algorithm is wrong for whatever reason in a particular case, similarly one can complain that a law requires some unfair things in some case, or a contract leads to some actually non-agreed consequence.