Sendhil Mullainathan is an economics professor at Harvard University and a Cornell Tech Fellow. His latest research focuses on using machine learning and data-mining techniques to better understand human behavior. Mullainathan co-founded ideas42, a nonprofit to apply behavioral science, and MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. His previous government work includes, most recently, assistant research director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Mullainathan co-authored Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much and writes regularly for The New York Times. A MacArthur Foundation board member, he is a recipient of the MacArthur genius award and was named a Foreign Policy Top 100 Thinker and to Wired UK’s Smart List.
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Algorithms can now identify faces, drive cars, translate text, and even write news stories. This same technology, used wisely, can help us tackle some of the most pressing soc...