Recommender systems are strange and fascinating. I’ve built and consulted on recommender systems for the some of the largest retailers in South Africa, and this talk is about all the weird stuff that goes on while you’re just trying to help people buy groceries.

Your customers will be offended by recommendations that are mathematically true, odd products will dominate the feed for even odder reasons, and your code will suddenly become the focal point of some serious ethical issues.

In this session I share all those stories, including some smart ways to learn about your customer, and how use that information in safe and ethical ways.