News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Time to regulate AI that interprets human emotions? by Pokepokalypse on Wednesday April 07, 2021 @12:04PM (#26726868)
Most consumers, in their individual experience, probably avoid foolish purchases like; buying a second widget immediately after buying a first widget.

But it's probably true that there are a lot of individuals out there who have done this (for whatever reason), and it's the statistical likelihood of people buying a second widget that drives this.

An individual who doesn't do this, can't perceive this "fact" of statistics, which is human behavior in-aggregate form. Individuals only perceive individual behavior.

Re:Time to regulate AI that interprets human emotions? by _dps on Wednesday April 07, 2021 @03:22PM (#26729754)
Also, the same-product-again recommendation doesn't have to be a great one; it only has to beat the alternative it displaces. So I could find it plausible that taking a swing on you buying another of a product you already bought beats out whatever the 5th-best recommendation happens to be.

Given how widely this policy is criticized, Amazon must be very aware of it and they must continue to do it intentionally. I would trust, given the amount of money on the line, that they see evidence that tells them it's a reasonable choice.