All Narratives (356)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 5 min
- CNET
- 2019
Fight for the Future, a digital activist group, used Amazon’s Rekognition facial recognition software to scan faces on the street in Washington DC to show that there should be more guardrails on the use of this type of technology, before it is deployed for ends which violate human rights such as identifying peaceful protestors.
- CNET
- 2019
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- 5 min
- CNET
- 2019
Demonstrators scan public faces in DC to show lack of facial recognition laws
Fight for the Future, a digital activist group, used Amazon’s Rekognition facial recognition software to scan faces on the street in Washington DC to show that there should be more guardrails on the use of this type of technology, before it is deployed for ends which violate human rights such as identifying peaceful protestors.
Does this kind of stunt seem effective at getting the attention of the public on the ways that facial recognition can be misused? How? Who decides what is a “positive” use of facial recognition technology, and how can these use cases be negotiated with those citizens who want their privacy protected?
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- 7 min
- New York Times
- 2018
This article details the research of Joy Buolamwini on racial bias coded into algorithms, specifically facial recognition programs. When auditing facial recognition software from several large companies such as IBM and Face++, she found that they are far worse at properly identifying darker skinned faces. Overall, this reveals that facial analysis and recognition programs are in need of exterior systems of accountability.
- New York Times
- 2018
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- 7 min
- New York Times
- 2018
Facial Recognition Is Accurate, if You’re a White Guy
This article details the research of Joy Buolamwini on racial bias coded into algorithms, specifically facial recognition programs. When auditing facial recognition software from several large companies such as IBM and Face++, she found that they are far worse at properly identifying darker skinned faces. Overall, this reveals that facial analysis and recognition programs are in need of exterior systems of accountability.
What does exterior accountability for facial recognition software look like, and what should it look like? How and why does racial bias get coded into technology, whether explicitly or implicitly?
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- 7 min
- The Verge
- 2020
PULSE is an algorithm which can supposedly determine what a face looks like from a pixelated image. The problem: more often than not, the algorithm will return a white face, even when the person from the pixelated photograph is a person of color. The algorithm works through creating a synthetic face which matches with the pixel pattern, rather than actually clearing up the image. It is these synthetic faces that demonstrate a clear bias toward white people, demonstrating how institutional racism makes its way thoroughly into technological design. Thus, diversity in data sets will not full help until broader solutions combatting bias are enacted.
- The Verge
- 2020
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- 7 min
- The Verge
- 2020
What a machine learning tool that turns Obama white can (and can’t) tell us about AI bias
PULSE is an algorithm which can supposedly determine what a face looks like from a pixelated image. The problem: more often than not, the algorithm will return a white face, even when the person from the pixelated photograph is a person of color. The algorithm works through creating a synthetic face which matches with the pixel pattern, rather than actually clearing up the image. It is these synthetic faces that demonstrate a clear bias toward white people, demonstrating how institutional racism makes its way thoroughly into technological design. Thus, diversity in data sets will not full help until broader solutions combatting bias are enacted.
What potential harms could you see from the misapplication of the PULSE algorithm? What sorts of bias-mitigating solutions besides more diverse data sets could you envision? Based on this case study, what sorts of real-world applications should facial recognition technology be trusted with?
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- 7 min
- Wall Street Journal
- 2021
Google’s new Pixel 6 smartphone claims to have “the world’s most inclusive camera” based on its purported ability to more accurately reflect darker skin tones in photographs, a form of digital justice notably absent from previous iterations of computational photography across the phones of various tech monopolies.
- Wall Street Journal
- 2021
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- 7 min
- Wall Street Journal
- 2021
Google Built the Pixel 6 Camera to Better Portray People With Darker Skin Tones. Does It?
Google’s new Pixel 6 smartphone claims to have “the world’s most inclusive camera” based on its purported ability to more accurately reflect darker skin tones in photographs, a form of digital justice notably absent from previous iterations of computational photography across the phones of various tech monopolies.
How can “arms races” between different tech monopolies potentially lead to positive innovations, especially those that center equity? Why did it take so long to have a more inclusive camera? How can a camera be exclusive?
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- 10 min
- Gizmodo
- 2021
Physicist Brian Nord, who learned about deep learning algorithms through his research on the cosmos, warns against how developing algorithms without proper ethical sensibility can lead to these algorithms having more negative impacts than positive ones. Essentially, an “a priori” or proactive approach to instilling AI ethical sensibility, whether through review institutions or ethical education of developers, is needed to guard against privileged populations using algorithms to maintain hegemony.
- Gizmodo
- 2021
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- 10 min
- Gizmodo
- 2021
Developing Algorithms That Might One Day Be Used Against You
Physicist Brian Nord, who learned about deep learning algorithms through his research on the cosmos, warns against how developing algorithms without proper ethical sensibility can lead to these algorithms having more negative impacts than positive ones. Essentially, an “a priori” or proactive approach to instilling AI ethical sensibility, whether through review institutions or ethical education of developers, is needed to guard against privileged populations using algorithms to maintain hegemony.
What would an ideal algorithmic accountability organization or process look like? What specific ethical regions should AI developers study before creating their algorithms? How can algorithms or other programs created for one context, such as scientific research or learning, be misused in other contexts?
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- 5 min
- Inc
- 2021
On International Data Privacy Day, Apple CEO Tim Cook fired shots against Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook’s model of mining user data through platform analytics and web mining to serve up targeted ads to users. By contrast, Cook painted Apple as a privacy oriented company who wants to make technology work for its users by not collecting their data and manipulating them psychologically through advertising.
- Inc
- 2021
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- 5 min
- Inc
- 2021
Tim Cook May Have Just Ended Facebook
On International Data Privacy Day, Apple CEO Tim Cook fired shots against Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook’s model of mining user data through platform analytics and web mining to serve up targeted ads to users. By contrast, Cook painted Apple as a privacy oriented company who wants to make technology work for its users by not collecting their data and manipulating them psychologically through advertising.
Are you convinced that Apple has a better business model than Facebook? Should users be responsible for taking steps to protect themselves against web mining, or should Facebook be responsible for adding in more guardrails? What are the consequences of both Facebook and Apple products being involved in larger architectures that extend beyond the singular digital artifact?