Algorithms touch almost every part of our lives - but what are they? Do we really need to care what they are or how they work?

In this episode John Wyatt and I introduce provide some simple answers to these questions, and then explore by way of a case study, the Public Examination fiasco of 2020 in England. In doing this we raise a number of questions about the use of algorithms, and suggest some possible ways that we could protect people better from the unintended consequences of getting things wrong.

(this episode was originally recorded at the end of 2020)