Discriminatory Practices

Locked Out by Big Data: How Big Data, Algorithms and Machine Learning May Undermine Housing Justice

by

Author: Valerie Schneider; Publisher: Columbia Human Rights Law Review; Publication Year: 2020. The following article is a very granular deep dive into how artificial intelligence (AI) can lead to discrimination in housing and how this relates to Fair Housing Act “disparate impact” jurisprudence. The motivation for the article was a proposed rule from HUD that would have immunized landlords using algorithms from disparate impact fair housing claims…

Best Practices for Avoiding AI Biases in Data and Why It’s Important

by

Author: Sunil Yadav; Publisher: Baseline; Publication Year: 2022. The following article discusses how technology is created by humans and often reflects human biases. It is important to prioritize having unbiased artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and models, because biased AI systems can produce erroneous and discriminatory predictions, and impact a business’s reputation, future opportunities, and…

How Racial Bias in Tech Has Developed the “New Jim Code”

by

Author: Sarah E. Bon, Nyasha Junior; Publisher: Hyperallergic; Publication Year: 2020. The following article explores the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in artistic research and reconstructions. Specifically, the authors explore the hidden human bias behind these technologies that are seemingly objective and scientific. Throughout the article, the authors name numerous examples when unethical and biased…

How does structural racism impact on data and AI?

by

Author: Reema Patel, Octavia Reeve, Andrew Strait; Publisher: The Ada Lovelace Institute; Publication Year: 2021. The following article talks about the “data divide” that exists between those who have access to artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic data technologies and people who do not. The data divide can affect who benefits from AI and who will not and the article demonstrates that structural racism inherent in American society is a major driver of this. A…

Understanding Data Bias

by

Author: Prabhakar Krishnamurthy; Publisher: Medium; Publication Year: 2019. The following article discusses how most datasets suffer from bias which can affect conclusions drawn from the data in a way that is discriminatory. This paper describes different types of bias and how it may arise. Knowing the sources of bias can help us mitigate their effect or improve processes to collect data to use in modeling. 2 additional…

The Biases We Feed to Tinder Algorithms

by

Author: N/A; Publisher: Diggit Magazine; Publication Year: 2019. The following article discusses how algorithms play a crucial role in overall participation in public life. When it comes to apps similar to Tinder, scholars stress the importance of interrogating algorithms as a “key feature of the cultural forms emerging in their shadows.” An algorithm can only function when paired with a database, so in order to…

Racial Equity and Data Science

by

Author: MIT IDSS; Publisher: MIT Political Science; Publication Year: 2022. The following article features the Research Initiative on Combating Systematic Racism (ICSR) who’s goal is to seed and coordinate research used to identify racially discriminatory processes across American Institutions. The focus is to use big data to create computational tools that will make a change toward racial equality. Racial discrimination is…

Benefits and Ethical Challenges in Data Science — COMPAS and Smart Meters

by

Author: Maximillian Hofer; Publisher: Medium; Publication Year: 2018. The following article mentions some ethical challenges or issues with companies having large amounts of data on individuals. While using these large amounts of data can provide valuable information on a specific topic or population, such as being able to determine if an individual will be a repeat offender of a specific crime, the models created…

Even Artificial Intelligence can Acquire Biases Against Race and Gender

by

Author: Matthew Hutson; Publisher: Science; Publication Year: 2017. The following article discusses how artificial intelligence (AI) is just an extension of our existing culture. There is a common misconception that since artificial intelligence is automated and programmed, it is immune from biases because it makes decisions without the added factor of human emotions. However, these AI systems are taking in loads of…

Keynote Speaker: Joy Buolamwini Presented by SpeakInc

by

Author: Joy Buolamwini

Publisher: SpeakInc

Publication Year: 2018

Summary: In the following video, Joy Buolamwini expands on her mission of the ‘Coded Gaze’, her term for algorithmic bias which can lead to discriminatory practices or exclusionary experiences. She recalls her experience of her face only being recognized after she wore a white mask. She provides more examples of how 130 million people in the U.S…