Evangelists of Big Data claim the data mining and testing of massive data pools will enable huge advances in artificial intelligence. Others dismiss the hype and tell us that Big Data will always need old-fashioned human grey matter when it comes to discovery and invention. Knowledge, intelligence or insight cannot be gleaned from statistical relationships alone, no matter how ‘complete’ the dataset. Should we place limits on data collection to protect individual liberties? Even in areas where data is put to benign use, could over-reliance on algorithms impede the process of human judgement? Is it time to recognise the limitations of Big Data and put the stats in their place?
