<h3><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/" target="_self"><em>Keeping you current</em></a></h3><h1>This Website Wants to Make Your Major Life Decisions for You</h1><h2>The site could help people who just want their decisions validated or who honestly have no idea what to do with themselves</h2><p><strong>By </strong><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/author/rachel-nuwer/" target="_self"><strong>Rachel Nuwer</strong></a></p><p>SMITHSONIANMAG.COM<br>SEPTEMBER 12, 2014</p><p>When it comes to making major life choices, many people seek counsel and validation from friends, family, doctors, lawyers, mentors—anyone they trust (and, sometimes, anyone who happens to be nearby). Is this decision a good one? The right one?</p><p>Now, there's a non-human alternative to add to that list: a decision-making website called <a href="http://www.cloverpop.com/" target="_self"><strong>Cloverpop</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p>

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<p>In just ten minutes, <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/news/530581/can-a-website-help-you-decide-to-have-a-kid/?utm_campaign=socialsync&amp;utm_medium=social-post&amp;utm_source=twitter">MIT Technology Review reports</a>, the website's algorithms can help you make a decision about anything from whether you should procreate to which job offer to take.</p>

<figure><img alt="site" src="https://thumbs-prod.si-cdn.com/30sUkmy5nlfjnLutX3408vucyyI=/800x600/filters:no_upscale()/https://public-media.si-cdn.com/filer/42/ee/42ee112f-0876-4bab-ba8d-c9d12f2d37f4/site.jpg" width="768" height="576"><figcaption dir="auto">(Photo: Hero Images/Corbis)</figcaption></figure><div><a role="button" tabindex="0"><span>Share to Facebook</span></a></div><div><a role="button" tabindex="0"><span>Share to Twitter</span></a></div><div><a role="button" tabindex="0"><span>Share to Reddit</span></a></div><div><a role="button" tabindex="0"><span>Share to Pinterest</span></a></div><div><a role="button" tabindex="0"><span>Share to LinkedIn</span></a></div><div><a role="button" tabindex="0"><span>Share to Flipboard</span></a></div><div><a role="button" tabindex="0"><span>Share to Email</span></a></div><div><a role="button" tabindex="0"><span>Share to Print</span></a></div><div><a role="button" tabindex="0"><span>Share to More</span></a></div><p>When it comes to making major life choices, many people seek counsel and validation from friends, family, doctors, lawyers, mentors—anyone they trust (and, sometimes, anyone who happens to be nearby).&nbsp;Is this decision a good one? The right one?</p><p dir="ltr">Now,&nbsp;there's a non-human&nbsp;alternative to add to that list: a decision-making website called <a href="http://www.cloverpop.com/" dir="ltr">Cloverpop</a>. In just ten minutes, <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/news/530581/can-a-website-help-you-decide-to-have-a-kid/?utm_campaign=socialsync&amp;utm_medium=social-post&amp;utm_source=twitter" dir="ltr">MIT Technology Review reports</a>, the website's algorithms can help you make a decision about anything from whether you should procreate to which job offer to take.&nbsp;</p><p>Here's MIT Technology Review on how the site, which just launched a public beta test of its services, works:&nbsp;</p><BLOCKQUOTE><p>You must answer a series of questions about how experienced you are with the topic at hand, the ways in which a “yes” answer will most impact your life, and potential alternative decisions, in order to arrive at a “yes” or a “no.” You also must write a statement about how you imagine you’ll feel, having made the decision either way, in a year.</p></BLOCKQUOTE><p>Using those yes/no answers, as well as your&nbsp;ranking&nbsp;of alternative&nbsp;scenarios, the site analyzes your situation and spits out a yes or no, along with a score about how confident the program is about the decision it arrived at.</p><p>As one expert pointed out to MIT Technology Review, however, the problem with this idea is that training the algorithms will take time, because the impact of&nbsp;many decisions—like whether to move, have kids&nbsp;or switch career paths—plays out over years. So it will be hard to give the program timely feedback about whether&nbsp;it's doing a good job at delivering answers, even though that information is crucial for improving it.</p><p>Cloverpop's creators, however, pointed out to MIT Technology Review that most people who have so far sought out the site's services weren't really starting out with a blank slate. They really just wanted the website to validate a decision they had pretty much already made.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><div dir="ltr">Like this article? <span dir="ltr">SIGN UP</span> for our newsletter</div>

The site could help people who just want their decisions validated or who honestly have no idea what to do with themselves 

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<p>When it comes to making major life choices, many people seek counsel and validation from friends, family, doctors, lawyers, mentors—anyone they trust (and, sometimes, anyone who happens to be nearby). Is this decision a good one? The right one? </p>

<p dir="ltr">Now, there's a non-human alternative to add to that list: a decision-making website called <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.cloverpop.com/">Cloverpop </a>. In just ten minutes, <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.technologyreview.com/news/530581/can-a-website-help-you-decide-to-have-a-kid/?utm_campaign=socialsync&amp;utm_medium=social-post&amp;utm_source=twitter">MIT Technology Review reports </a>, the website's algorithms can help you make a decision about anything from whether you should procreate to which job offer to take.  </p>

<p>Here's MIT Technology Review on how the site, which just launched a public beta test of its services, works:  </p>

<p>You must answer a series of questions about how experienced you are with the topic at hand, the ways in which a “yes” answer will most impact your life, and potential alternative decisions, in order to arrive at a “yes” or a “no.” You also must write a statement about how you imagine you’ll feel, having made the decision either way, in a year. </p>

<p>Using those yes/no answers, as well as your ranking of alternative scenarios, the site analyzes your situation and spits out a yes or no, along with a score about how confident the program is about the decision it arrived at. </p>

<p>As one expert pointed out to MIT Technology Review, however, the problem with this idea is that training the algorithms will take time, because the impact of many decisions—like whether to move, have kids or switch career paths—plays out over years. So it will be hard to give the program timely feedback about whether it's doing a good job at delivering answers, even though that information is crucial for improving it. </p>

<p>Cloverpop's creators, however, pointed out to MIT Technology Review that most people who have so far sought out the site's services weren't really starting out with a blank slate. They really just wanted the website to validate a decision they had pretty much already made.    </p>

This Website Wants to Make Your Major Life Decisions for You

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This Website Wants to Make Your Major Life Decisions for You

The site could help people who just want their decisions validated or who honestly have no idea what to do with themselves

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