Thumb ticker sm 20241104 hardt moritz 12 cleaned kleiner
Social Foundations of Computation
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Thumb ticker sm portrait celestine
Algorithms and Society
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Predictions in the social world generally influence the target of prediction, a phenomenon known as performativity. Self-fulfilling and self-negating predictions are examples of performativity. Of fundamental importance to economics, finance, and the social sciences, the notion has been absent from the development of machine learning. In machine learning applications, performativity often surfaces as distribution shift. A predictive model deployed on a digital platform, for example, influences consumption and thereby changes the data-generating distribution. We survey the recently founded area of performative prediction that provides a definition and conceptual framework to study performativity in machine learning. A consequence of performative prediction is a natural equilibrium notion that gives rise to new optimization challenges. Another consequence is a distinction between learning and steering, two mechanisms at play in performative prediction. The notion of steering is in turn intimately related to questions of power in digital markets. We review the notion of performative power that gives an answer to the question how much a platform can steer participants through its predictions. We end on a discussion of future directions, such as the role that performativity plays in contesting algorithmic systems.

Author(s): Hardt, Moritz and Mendler-Dünner, Celestine
Links:
Journal: Statistical Science
Year: 2025
Month: August
Publisher: Institute of Mathematical Statistics
Project(s):
BibTeX Type: Article (article)
State: Published
URL: https://projecteuclid.org/journals/statistical-science/volume-40/issue-3/Performative-Prediction-Past-and-Future/10.1214/25-STS986.short
Electronic Archiving: grant_archive

BibTeX

@article{hardt2023performative,
  title = {Performative Prediction: Past and Future},
  journal = {Statistical Science},
  abstract = {Predictions in the social world generally influence the target of prediction, a phenomenon known as performativity. Self-fulfilling and self-negating predictions are examples of performativity. Of fundamental importance to economics, finance, and the social sciences, the notion has been absent from the development of machine learning. In machine learning applications, performativity often surfaces as distribution shift. A predictive model deployed on a digital platform, for example, influences consumption and thereby changes the data-generating distribution. We survey the recently founded area of performative prediction that provides a definition and conceptual framework to study performativity in machine learning. A consequence of performative prediction is a natural equilibrium notion that gives rise to new optimization challenges. Another consequence is a distinction between learning and steering, two mechanisms at play in performative prediction. The notion of steering is in turn intimately related to questions of power in digital markets. We review the notion of performative power that gives an answer to the question how much a platform can steer participants through its predictions. We end on a discussion of future directions, such as the role that performativity plays in contesting algorithmic systems.},
  publisher = {Institute of Mathematical Statistics},
  month = aug,
  year = {2025},
  author = {Hardt, Moritz and Mendler-D{\"u}nner, Celestine},
  url = {https://projecteuclid.org/journals/statistical-science/volume-40/issue-3/Performative-Prediction-Past-and-Future/10.1214/25-STS986.short},
  month_numeric = {8}
}