I own a Roku TV - so when I turn the TV on, the Roku home screen appears. Included on this screen are some recommended shows under the banner "Top Picks For You". I have no idea how the algorithm works to come up with this selection. I don't think it can be an intelligent or informed selection unless all the various big streaming companies share their information - because the only thing I access from the home screen are the streaming apps I use (such as HBO Max or Amazon Prime), or the HDMI connection to my cable box. However, I was very disturbed this week by a show that appeared under these top picks. And I don't know how it got there. It was Mrs Brown's Boys. One of the worst TV shows to ever be made. And a show that, as far as I'm aware, has a non-existent American audience and mercifully no American adaptation. Why was this show recommended to me? Why would it be recommended to anyone? Does whatever AI they are using and whatever viewing history they have on me suggest that I might like this awful show? That is truly worrying.
