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Modern Internet algorithms accused of gender inequality

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 Is there a place left where inequality has not been found?

Gender-neutral Internet searches yield results that are nonetheless male-dominated, according to a new study by a group of psychologists. Moreover, these search results have an impact on users, contributing to the development of gender bias.

 

“There is growing concern that the algorithms used by modern AI systems are producing discriminatory results, presumably because they are trained on data that is based on social bias,” said Madalina Vlasceanu, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology at New York University and lead author of the article. “As a consequence, their use by humans may lead to the expansion, rather than the reduction, of existing inequalities.”

“These results call for the creation of an ethical AI model that combines human psychology with computational and sociological approaches to illuminate the formation, operation, and mitigation of algorithmic biases,” adds author David Amodio, professor in the Department of Psychology at New York University and the University of Amsterdam.

The use of artificial intelligence by decision makers could lead to the expansion, rather than the reduction, of existing inequalities, say Vlaschanu and Amodio.