AI Ethics by Mark Coeckelbergh

Author:Mark Coeckelbergh [Coeckelbergh, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Artificial intelligence; AI ethics; ethics of AI; AI policy; responsibility; transparency; bias; ethics of technology; responsible innovation
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: 2020-03-13T00:00:00+00:00

9

Bias and the Meaning of Life

Bias

Another problem that is both ethical and societal, and also specific to data science–based AI as opposed to other automation technologies, is the issue of bias. When an AI makes—or more precisely recommends—decisions, bias may arise: the decisions may be unjust or unfair to particular individuals or groups. Although bias may also arise with classic AI—say, an expert system using a decision tree or database that contains bias—the issue of bias is often connected to machine learning applications. And while problems of bias and discrimination have always been present in society, the worry is that AI may perpetuate these problems and enlarge their impact.

Bias is often unintentional: the developers, users, and other people involved such as the management of the company often do not foresee the discriminatory effects against certain groups or individuals. This can be because they don’t understand the AI system well enough, are not sufficiently aware of the problem of bias or indeed of their own biases, or more generally do not sufficiently imagine and reflect on the potential unintended consequences of the technology and are out of touch with some relevant stakeholders. This is problematic since biased decisions can have severe consequences, for example, in terms of access to resources and freedoms (CDT 2018): individuals might not get a job, might not get credit, might end up in prison, or might even experience violence against them. And not only individuals may suffer; entire communities might be affected by the biased decisions, for example, when an entire area of the city or all people with a particular ethnic background are profiled by the AI as posing a high security risk.

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