New research shows that artificial intelligence tools, designed to streamline work processes, may be contributing to discrimination in the workplace.
AI Tools Leading To Unfair Discrimination
Is biased artificial intelligence (AI) actually the reason why disabled Americans can’t seem to land a job? AP News shared that the U.S. Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have jointly issued guidance to employers to take due diligence before utilising popular AI tools meant to streamline the work vetting employees and job prospects. The possibility that biased AI can unfairly discriminate against people with disabilities should be sending a warning to employers that the blind reliance on these tools could violate civil rights laws.But it’s not just people with disabilities. Biased AI algorithms can discriminate against a whole host of people, including people of colour, women, different age groups and more. Thankfully, there are solutions to this, and more companies are focusing on ethical and responsible use of AI.
What is Contributing to Bias in AI?
“Everybody needs to have a seat at the table,” says Linh C. Ho, Chief Marketing Officer of Insurance tech provider Zelros. “Biases occur as a result of incomplete data or existing bad data that can lead to an AI that is unethical. If a team lacks the diversity of different viewpoints, thought processes and life experiences, corrupt data can go undetected. Leading to unequal recommendations even when the only variable is for example, gender.”
What is a Possible Solution?
“It’s called a bias bounty.” says Christophe Bourguignat, CEO & Co-founder Zelros. “One way to detect biases and discrimination in AI is to use bias bounties to catch bad data, avoiding further deviation of the analytics. Bias bounties are implemented to reward users for identifying bias in AI systems before they become civil rights violations.”
How Can You Ensure That AI Is Ethical and Responsible?
Fabien Vauchelles, CTO and Founder of Zelros says, “As technology continues to advance, especially in the areas of artificial intelligence and machine learning, there is a need to have women directly involved with building this technology. The more diverse the team of programmers, you will have less bias in the tech you develop. Right now, eliminating bias in AI is a very hot topic, and the best way to facilitate this is to have diversity, different cultures and more women involved.”
