Algorithms

Americans regard advances in artificial intelligence and human enhancement technologies with a degree of caution and uncertainty.

Public views are tied to how these technologies would be used and what constraints would be in place.

Many experts say public online spaces will significantly improve by 2035 if reformers, big technology firms, governments and activists tackle the problems created by misinformation, disinformation and toxic discourse. Others expect continuing troubles as digital tools and forums are used to exploit people’s frailties, stoke their rage and drive them apart.

Pew Research Center’s political typology sorts Americans into cohesive, like-minded groups based on their values, beliefs, and views about politics and the political system. Use this tool to compare the groups on some key topics and their demographics.

Our latest Methods 101 video explains the basics of machine learning and how it allows our researchers to analyze data on a large scale.

How many ad preferences Facebook lists for its U.S. users – and how accurate they are – depends on how often, and for how long, they've used the platform.

A computer can be trained to predict whether an image shows a man or a woman. Can you identify which parts of the face are most essential to the computer’s decision?

Pew Research Center released several reports in 2018 that explored the role and meaning of algorithms in people’s lives today.

About half of Facebook users say they are not comfortable when they see how the platform categorizes them, and 27% maintain the site’s classifications do not accurately represent them.

Men are overrepresented in online image search results for popular jobs. Women appear lower on the page than men in many of these searches.