Papers in Systems Discussion: Proxy Failure
Proxy Failure Risk in Goal-oriented Systems
Our Papers in Systems discussion series will continue with discussion of “Dead rats, dopamine, performance metrics, and peacock tails: proxy failure is an inherent risk in goal-oriented systems” by Yohan John et al
The discussion will be led by Juno Suárez
When: August 7th, 2023, 1PM - 2PM Eastern Time (US/Canada). The Zoom room will remain open until 2:30PM for informal discussion. Check time in your time zone.
Abstract: “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. This phenomenon has received numerous names and has been observed across a broad range of contexts, ranging from macroeconomics to machine-learning to ecology. Is this similarity superficial, or does it imply a unified underlying mechanism? We argue that there are real structural similarities that lead to this phenomenon, which we label "proxy failure". Our account provides a novel perspective on the organization and dynamics of goal-oriented behaviour across biological and social scales.”