AI Ethics Weekly – Nov 2: Racist and Sexist AI – Cause and Effect

AI Ethics Weekly – Nov 2: Racist and Sexist AI – Cause and Effect
November 2, 2020 LH3_Admin

Biased AI algorithms are the result of racist and sexist environments they are designed and built in. As Americans go to the polls this week to save democracy against a dire backdrop of spiking coronavirus cases around the world, it is a vivid reminder that we are all in this together.

Nominate yourself or a peer for the Women in AI Ethics™ Directory!
All nominations in this directory received by Sunday, November 8, 2020, 4PM U.S. Pacific Time (extended deadline) will be considered for the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™ list for 2021.

And join us in recognizing the women working hard to save humanity from the dark side of AI during our 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics summit from December 3–5.

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Dark Side of AI

How a racist algorithm kept Black patients from getting kidney transplants
h/t jazzmin @jazzmingota
“A new study published this month in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that one algorithm used for assessing a person’s kidney function often overestimated the health of Black patients.” Read more.

How a Popular Medical Device Encodes Racial Bias
h/t Sasha Costanza-Chock @schock
“Pulse oximeters give biased results for people with darker skin. The consequences could be serious.” Read more.

Online proctoring platforms claim to prevent cheating. But at what cost?
h/t Meredith Broussard @merbroussard
“Others have uncovered the troubling biases of algorithms that scan students’ videos for potential cheating behaviors: Darker-skinned students report that some apps ask them to improve their lighting,” Read more.

Toxic Environments Run Deep in Tech & Politics

Surveillance Startup Used Own Cameras to Harass Coworkers
h/t Meredith Whittaker @mer__edith
Employees at Verkada accessed the company’s facial recognition system to take photos of women colleagues and make sexually explicit jokes. Read more.

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