Michael Kearns: Algorithmic Fairness, Bias, Privacy, and Ethics in Machine Learning
Nov 19, 2019
auto_awesome
Michael Kearns, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and co-author of 'Ethical Algorithms,' dives into the fascinating world of algorithmic fairness and bias. He discusses the interplay between ethics and technology, and how social norms influence perceptions of fairness. Kearns explores the ethical dilemmas of engaging users versus ensuring fairness in algorithms, the role of differential privacy in safeguarding data, and the dynamic relationship between game theory and machine learning. A thought-provoking conversation on balancing human values with technological advancement!
Algorithmic fairness in lending requires consideration of harm and beneficiaries.
Balancing fairness notions reveals ethical complexity in algorithmic decision-making.
Human intervention is crucial in mitigating societal challenges posed by algorithmic platforms.
Exploring symbolic AI's potential can offer diverse solutions in enhancing algorithmic fairness.
Deep dives
The Importance of Addressing Algorithmic Fairness
Ensuring algorithmic fairness, particularly in areas like lending models, requires thoughtful consideration on who is under protection and what constitutes harm. An uncle, a moral philosopher, provided insights on the interplay between algorithmic fairness definitions and humanitarian perspectives.
Algorithmic Solutions in the Gray Area of Fairness
Algorithmic solutions address blatant unfairness and privacy violations but struggle in the gray area. Balancing multiple notions of fairness reveals the complexity of algorithmic fairness, a challenge that requires revisiting fundamental questions around ethics and justice.
Ethical Algorithmic Decision-Making
Navigating the societal impact of algorithmic platforms like Facebook and Twitter requires human intervention to prioritize long-term health over short-term engagement optimization. Adjusting system design to include diverse viewpoints and reduce polarization could mitigate societal challenges caused by narrow algorithmic objectives.
Exploring Symbolic AI for Ethical Advancements
While current emphasis lies on machine learning advancements, the potential of symbolic AI and alternative approaches in enhancing fairness deserves exploration. Novel ideas from symbolic AI could offer diverse solutions and perspectives in addressing ethical challenges in algorithmic decision-making.
The Influence of Algorithms and Machine Learning in Various Fields
Algorithms and machine learning are gaining prominence across different disciplines, even for individuals without technical backgrounds. This shift is evident with the increased awareness and usage of algorithms and machine learning concepts by the general population. The discussion highlights the potential power of learning programming and data science, enabling professionals from diverse fields like biology, chemistry, and business to enhance their abilities. The future of computer science is envisioned to involve more interdisciplinary mixing, emphasizing the importance of computer scientists driving this integration.
The Significance of Algorithmic Privacy and Differential Privacy
Algorithmic privacy, including practices like data anonymization, aims to embed privacy norms within algorithms. However, conventional data anonymization methods are deemed flawed, leading to the emergence of the concept of differential privacy. Differential privacy represents a more robust approach to privacy protection, allowing for meaningful data analysis while safeguarding individual privacy. By introducing noise to computations, differential privacy ensures that any potential harm resulting from data analysis is consistent whether the individual's data is included or not.
The Evolution of Algorithmic Trading and the Role of Algorithms in Finance
Algorithmic trading has revolutionized the financial sector, particularly in optimizing execution processes and high-frequency trading activities. While algorithms excel in short-term prediction and optimization tasks, the complexity of long-term investment decisions necessitates a broader understanding of economic cycles, political landscapes, and global events. Transitioning from short-term strategies to Warren Buffett-style long-term investments requires integrating vast sources of diverse data to anticipate macroeconomic trends and risks. While algorithms play a crucial role in optimizing aspects of trading, long-term investment strategies still heavily rely on human expertise and a comprehensive understanding of various external factors.
Michael Kearns is a professor at University of Pennsylvania and a co-author of the new book Ethical Algorithm that is the focus of much of our conversation, including algorithmic fairness, bias, privacy, and ethics in general. But, that is just one of many fields that Michael is a world-class researcher in, some of which we touch on quickly including learning theory or theoretical foundations of machine learning, game theory, algorithmic trading, quantitative finance, computational social science, and more.
This conversation is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts or support it on Patreon. This episode is sponsored by Pessimists Archive podcast. Here’s the outline with timestamps for this episode (on some players you can click on the timestamp to jump to that point in the episode):
00:00 – Introduction
02:45 – Influence from literature and journalism
07:39 – Are most people good?
13:05 – Ethical algorithm
24:28 – Algorithmic fairness of groups vs individuals
33:36 – Fairness tradeoffs
46:29 – Facebook, social networks, and algorithmic ethics
58:04 – Machine learning
58:05 – Machine learning
59:19 – Algorithm that determines what is fair
1:01:25 – Computer scientists should think about ethics
1:05:59 – Algorithmic privacy
1:11:50 – Differential privacy
1:19:10 – Privacy by misinformation
1:22:31 – Privacy of data in society
1:27:49 – Game theory
1:29:40 – Nash equilibrium
1:30:35 – Machine learning and game theory
1:34:52 – Mutual assured destruction
1:36:56 – Algorithmic trading
1:44:09 – Pivotal moment in graduate school
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
