Algorithms have become a prevailing feature of modern life. Yet it’s happened almost without us noticing. At the University of Oxford, researchers at the Responsible Technology Institute have been examining the pervasive, hard-to-spot and often negative impacts of algorithms.
With Scriberia's help, they made an explainer animation, Algorithms and us, with the aim of better equipping us all to question the use of algorithms and to better understand their consequences.
“We wanted to take this opportunity to look at how they’re affecting individuals, communities and societies, and hopefully give people some tools with which to start questioning these effects,” says Professor Marina Jirotka, head of Oxford’s Responsible Technology Institute and leader of the project.
Although algorithms are already prevalent, there has so far been little transparency about their intended and unintended impacts, making this a particularly important science communication animation.
The decision to collaborate with Scriberia's animators was an easy one for Philip Inglesant, Research Associate at Department of Computer Science: "I've worked with Scriberia before, on a previous project about quantum computing, so I already knew how professional and easy to work with they are. But, what I enjoy best of all, is how their videos explain complex ideas in such imaginative, captivating and easy-to-understand ways.
And this project was no exception. “We’re so impressed," says Philip. "Making an animation could have been daunting, but Scriberia’s experienced and professional team made the process smooth and easy from start to finish. The end result took us beyond our imaginations and expectations and we can’t wait to put it to use.”
Discover more science communication animations over on our animation page.