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Publications
Publications
  • October 2019
  • Article
  • Journal of Behavioral Decision Making

Making Sense of Recommendations

By: Michael Yeomans, Anuj Shah, Sendhil Mullainathan and Jon Kleinberg
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Abstract

Computer algorithms are increasingly being used to predict people's preferences and make recommendations. Although people frequently encounter these algorithms because they are cheap to scale, we do not know how they compare to human judgment. Here, we compare computer recommender systems to human recommenders in a domain that affords humans many advantages: predicting which jokes people will find funny. We find that recommender systems outperform humans, whether strangers, friends, or family. Yet people are averse to relying on these recommender systems. This aversion partly stems from the fact that people believe the human recommendation process is easier to understand. It is not enough for recommender systems to be accurate, they must also be understood.

Keywords

Recommender Systems; Artificial Intelligence; Interpretability; Information Technology; Forecasting and Prediction; Decision Making; Attitudes

Citation

Yeomans, Michael, Anuj Shah, Sendhil Mullainathan, and Jon Kleinberg. "Making Sense of Recommendations." Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 32, no. 4 (October 2019): 403–414.
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More from the Authors

    • September 8, 2020
    • JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association

    Allocation of COVID-19 Relief Funding to Disproportionately Black Counties

    By: Pragya Kakani, Amitabh Chandra and Sendhil Mullainathan
    • Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

    Conversational Receptiveness: Expressing Engagement with Opposing Views

    By: M. Yeomans, J. Minson, H. Collins, H. Chen and F. Gino
    • June 30, 2020
    • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

    Scaling Up Behavioral Science Interventions in Online Education

    By: Rene F. Kizilcec, Justin Reich, Michael Yeomans, Christoph Dann, Emma Brunskill, Glenn Lopez, Selen Turkay, Joseph J. Williams and Dustin Tingley
More from the Authors
  • Allocation of COVID-19 Relief Funding to Disproportionately Black Counties By: Pragya Kakani, Amitabh Chandra and Sendhil Mullainathan
  • Conversational Receptiveness: Expressing Engagement with Opposing Views By: M. Yeomans, J. Minson, H. Collins, H. Chen and F. Gino
  • Scaling Up Behavioral Science Interventions in Online Education By: Rene F. Kizilcec, Justin Reich, Michael Yeomans, Christoph Dann, Emma Brunskill, Glenn Lopez, Selen Turkay, Joseph J. Williams and Dustin Tingley
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