Bias in Algorithms — Reflection

This week in Computer Ethics, we dove into the topic of biases in algorithms. The topic in itself is interesting and can dive as deep as you can go. It brought never-ending questions and answers to mind and spoke on an important topic. I’ll first start off with one source that spoke to home. Which was Joy Buolamwini’s insight on law enforcement and their usage of of algorithms. As such, she discusses how law enforcement has been using algorithms to predict policing and how long a person should go to jail for. Which makes me question how do these algorithms make decisions especially in a way that’s not bias? Which brings me into the next speaker, Cathy O’Neal stating, “To build an algorithm you need two things: you need data, what happened in the past, and a definition of success, the thing you’re looking for and often hoping for.” Now, what data is being collected and used. How do you specify right or wrong and input it into the algorithm without being bias? These are questions that I personally do not have any insight or answer to. Just ones that get my brain into thinking about it more and more.

That, of course, is just one discussion into this topic. Others include AI making decision in everyday life. Robin Hauser mentions, “AI is making decisions for us every day, and those decisions can be as big as getting the loan you desperately need or getting into the school of your dreams.” Which brings attention to AI making decisions that are important to our lives. What information goes into the decision and is the information presented along with the decision?

Overall, this week provided insights to a topic that I never really thought about. It brought along questions and curiosity which makes me want to dive into the topic more.