AI doesn’t create bias, it inherits it – how do we ensure fairness when it comes to automated decisions?

Hiring algorithms are one of the systems that could be affected by discrimination. PeopleImages

If artificial intelligence (AI) systems shape decisions that affect people’s lives, they should do so fairly. This should be a given considering that potential applications for AI include automated hiring systems, as well as tools used in education, finance and criminal justice.

But ensuring the fairness of AI systems is far more complex than it might sound. Despite years of research, there is still no consensus on what fairness means, how it should be measured, or whether it can ever be fully achieved.