humankind. In the context of healthcare,
crime and terrorism, it can save lives. In
the context of advertising, using predictions is more efficient, and could conceivably save both trees (for direct mail and
catalogs) and the time and attention of
the recipient. In politics, it seems to reward those candidates who respect the
scientific method (some might disagree,
but I see that as a positive).
However, as Siegel points out – early
in the book, which is admirable – these approaches can also be used in somewhat
harmful ways. “With great power comes
great responsibility,” he notes in quoting
Spider-Man. The implication is that we
must be careful as a society about how
we use predictive models, or we may be
restricted from using and benefiting from
them. Like other powerful technologies
or disruptive human innovations, predictive analytics is essentially amoral, and
can be used for good or evil. To avoid the
evil applications, however, it is certainly
important to understand what is possible
with predictive analytics, and you will
How will you stand out from the crowd?
A membership in INFORMS will help!
• Certification for Analytics Professionals
• Online access to the latest in operations research and advanced analytics techniques
• Networking Opportunities available at INFORMS Meetings and Communities
• New Members receive one free Subdivison membership in 2014
A NA L Y T I C S
visit http://join.informs.org
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