Commentary Cue references of a “Matrix”-like dystopian future where Chinese citizens are trapped in a simulated reality managed by state-controlled computer algorithms. It’s not too far-fetched to imagine. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s cyberspace watchdog, announced recently that it would set up governance and rules to tighten its grip on algorithms companies use to interact with its users. Algorithms are widely deployed, used by companies to interact with users on a daily basis. Think of it as the engine that drives our internet search results, restaurant recommendations based on our location and taste preferences, show and movie recommendations based on our viewing history, the route our GPS app takes us on based on traffic and other patterns, etc. We depend on various algorithms whether we realize it or not. And today—when every company needs to be a technology company—investments in algorithms, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are …