Business | Bartleby

Beware the dangers of data

Numbers have an authority that disguises their flaws

Illustration of a business man and woman stuck in large holes in the shape of an 0 and a 1
Illustration: Paul Blow

Managers are better equipped than ever to make good decisions. They are more aware that human judgment is fallible. They have oodles of data about their customers and products. They can use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse, summarise and synthesise information with unprecedented speed. But as the pendulum swings inexorably away from gut instinct and towards data-based decisions, firms need to be alive to a different set of dangers.

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This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “The dangers of data”

From the January 4th 2025 edition

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