Battling Algorithmic Bias at TechCrunch Sessions: Justice

During TC Sessions: Justice on March 3, we will thoroughly investigate data discrimination, algorithmic bias, and strategies for fostering a more equitable future, particularly as technology firms increasingly depend on automated systems for decision-making.

Algorithms represent a series of instructions that computers utilize to resolve issues and determine appropriate actions. However, a fundamental challenge exists within algorithms, originating at their core and continuing throughout their development: the incorporation of human biases into these machine-driven decision processes.

Biased algorithms, fueled by flawed data, contribute to unjust arrests and incarceration rates among Black individuals. These same types of algorithms were responsible for Google misidentifying images of Black people as gorillas and for Microsoft’s Tay chatbot exhibiting white supremacist tendencies.

At TC Sessions: Justice, we will be joined by three leading experts in this critical area. Let’s take a closer look at who they are.

Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble

Dr. Noble is an Associate Professor at University of California Los Angeles and also a professor at the University of Southern California, and is the author of “Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism.” She is well-recognized for her analyses concerning the relationship between race and technology.

Within her book, Noble examines the ways in which algorithms demonstrate bias and perpetuate racist outcomes, a phenomenon she terms data discrimination.

“I believe that the methods by which individuals are coded, especially within search engines, can inflict significant harm,” Noble explained in a 2018 interview on TC Mixtape, previously known as CTRL+T. “This is what I mean when I refer to data discrimination.”

Mutale Nkonde

Nkonde emphasizes the importance of explicitly addressing race to build just technological advancements. Her research paper, “Automated Anti-Blackness: Facial Recognition in Brooklyn, New York,” investigates the application of facial recognition technology, the historical surveillance of Black communities in New York, and proposes potential regulatory approaches for facial recognition in the future.

Nkonde also serves as an advisor to the United Nations on issues of race and artificial intelligence and is currently collaborating with Amnesty International to promote a worldwide prohibition on facial recognition technology.

Haben Girma

Girma is the author of the memoir “Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law” and is a human rights lawyer dedicated to advancing disability justice.

Speaking at Sight Tech Global last month, Girma noted that discussions surrounding algorithmic bias concerning race have become increasingly common, but often overlook the impact of algorithms on individuals with disabilities. She shared with me that the topic of algorithmic bias is frequently absent among developers and designers when it comes to robotics, for example.

“The responsibility doesn’t lie with the robots themselves,” she stated. “It’s the individuals who create them who are embedding their biases, thereby perpetuating ableism and racism within our society. If designers collaborated with disabled individuals who utilize sidewalks and blind people who would employ these delivery applications, the robots and apps would be fully accessible. Therefore, those designing these services must engage in these conversations and work alongside us.”

If you’ve reached this point in the article, you’re likely interested in learning how to participate. Tickets are available for purchase here for only $5.