Bias in Algorithms!
Our unconscious bias exposed by algorithms.
We can assume that many, if not all, of us, suffer from stereotypical prejudice as a result of our upbringing and life experiences, and that we rely on these assumptions when we are making judgments about other people. These beliefs can become so entrenched that they become deep-seated biases reflecting on our everyday lives and work.
Algorithmic bias refers to a computer system’s systemic and repeatable mistakes that result in unequal results, such as favoring one random set of users over another. Joy Boulamwini in her TEDtalk called “How I’m fighting bias in algorithms”, states algorithm bias is similar to human bias in the fact that it results in unfairness to a party. Algorithmic bias may be seen on a variety of platforms, including but not limited to search engine results and social media platforms, and may have a variety of consequences, including inadvertent privacy breaches and the reinforcement of racial, gender, sexuality, and ethnic prejudices.
Bias is very hard to deal with as it requires a certain level of awareness in one’s conscience. Our world is being shaped by new techs that have massive impacts on our lives and we should be more careful about how we project our bias into them. Algorithm development should be fairer than anything right now is done in the right way it can persuade society to a better stance, even if the progress of algorithms and their tech is slowed further research and exploration are needed in order to be more just and beneficial to society. It should not be extended and applied if it is found to be full of errors and dangerously biased. If we spend more time creating technologies and passing the right development laws, we could build technology that benefits us rather than harms our morals and strengthen our prejudices.
