17 The Bias of Algorithms

The Bias of Algorithms

We have all heard the term ‘algorithm’ being used more and more lately, especially in regards to social media…but what are they? Why are they being discussed, and what makes them so potentially problematic? Algorithms were initially created for the computer to take time-consuming, mundane tasks out of human hands, things like calculating, collecting data, noticing patterns, and now recommending, excluding, filtering, enhancing engagement, and advertising. A programmer uses a set of instructions to tell the computer what to do, such as finding out how many qualified applicants have applied for a job, or which social media posts get the most likes, and the instructions keep piling on, the algorithm will then detect or get instructed on what to do with that information, how to organise it and what to include/exclude based on what the users want. Fast forward and it has expanded to almost every aspect of our daily lives and the driving force behind the future of Artificial Intelligence, through instructions on top of instructions and data on data on data, until the emotionless computer begins making deductions and conclusions for itself……(shivers). This might all sound like a dystopian future, but it’s happening right now, from Police using algorithms to calculate where the most threat and risk to the public is, job applications being filtered, to social media choosing for you what you see and don’t see online. Even CCTV and government tracking use algorithms to understand all the data they receive on a daily basis. You wouldn’t be wrong in thinking this is all very intelligent and has made many people’s lives easier, I mean, why would I not want Netflix to recommend me types of content that it knows I enjoy?

However, as clever as it is, its not without its faults, and these faults can have lasting consequences.

Algorithm Bias is when errors are made systematically, over and over again with potentially negative results. This is especially prevalent if the original programme’s instructions already had some kind of bias in them. Let me explain… I think at this point we can all agree that human beings are capable of intense and lasting bias, prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination, and sometimes when instructing an algorithm, these lovely qualities can find themselves being subconsciously ingrained into these overly logical computers, that are only capable of objective thinking, and not the empathetic nuances that we (most of us at least) are capable of. Not only that, but sometimes we humans have nothing to do with it, the algorithm is designed to pick up on patterns and make judgements accordingly. Recently Amazon had an incident where their algorithm was being used to filter job applications, most of the applications were from men and some from women, the algorithm read this to mean the more likely ideal candidates would be men and began to filter women’s job applications as less desirable. And now let’s follow the money… A Facebook whistle-blower just exposed the social media giant of being aware that their algorithms can cause serious damage, only showing people what they like thus polarizing society until people are living in online echo chambers, promoting posts without fact checking them, spreading sensationalized posts, and causing mental health issues in the young, particularly where body image is concerned.

However, all hope is not lost, if the laws and legislation can keep up, hold corporations and companies responsible for being more transparent and open about their algorithms, bring on board teams dedicated to making them as fair and thorough as possible, we may just be able to climb out of this hole. On our part we can be clued up and aware of them, make sure we check the sources and the validity of the posts we see online, question things, and hopefully we won’t fall into the algorithm traps making our personal worlds smaller. By Iram Hussain