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 Can an algorithm be racist? (2)

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Can an algorithm be racist?

An intersting topic from philosophy forum 

Can an algorithm be racist? An algorithm used to determine bail sentencing assesses the risk that an individual will reoffend. Critics claim the algorithm is unfair because it incorrectly assesses more black individuals as high risk than white.
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3 points

Definition of racism via MW;

"A belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race"

An algorithm used to assess prison bail sentences would only be given to access to information it was programmed to hold and evaluate; this would include things to calculate risk factor including the demographics of current prison populations based on free populations, reoffense rate by demographic and so on. Racism implies prejudice based on a belief grounded by inherent racial differences. An algorithm likely wouldn't be given access to any information that could lead it to form an "opinion" on certain races, it would go stricly based on prison populations, past sentences, etc. Unless the algorithm is specifically programmed to give higher risk chances to certain races; but that would be completely reliant on information given by the programmer.

TLDR; Racism is a belief, people have beliefs, algorithm isn't a person, algorithm isn't racist. But person created algorithm which could reflect the programmer's racism.

1 point

An algorithm isn't all that different from a simple definition or simple paradigm: if particular descriptors or parameters are met then whatever you are seeking is confirmed. And that means if you're seeking the definition or threshold or behavioral pattern in which something gets labeled bad or a high risk then yes you can design that algorithm to be racist. It is not automatically racist, but yes it can be racist, and that's mainly because people design these algorithms. People set the defintions and parameters and people then can make it racist in its outcomes.