algorithmic-illusion

The chapter opens with a prologue describing the Programmatic I/O conference, highlighting a critical talk by academic Nico Neumann that challenges the efficacy of data-driven, AI-enhanced online advertising by exposing its reliance on inaccurate data and misleading algorithms. The introduction contextualizes the dominance of advertising as the primary business model underpinning the internet's economic structure, emphasizing the consolidation of power among major players like Google and Facebook, while also acknowledging the negative societal impacts and inherent biases generated by this model.