The challenge of defining ‘fairness’

Defining fairness in AI is not a straightforward task. There are various definitions of fairness, and what might be considered fair in one context might not be fair in another. For instance, one commonly cited definition of fairness is ’equality of opportunity’, meaning that everyone should have an equal chance of achieving a particular outcome. However, this definition assumes that everyone has the same starting point, which is not always the case in real-world scenarios.

Another definition of fairness is ’equity’, which focuses on achieving a fair outcome based on individual circumstances. This definition recognizes that people may have different starting points and may require different levels of support to achieve the same outcome. A further consideration is that fairness is often a value judgment that varies depending on societal norms and cultural contexts. Therefore, what is considered fair in one society might not be viewed as fair in another.

Balance for Positive Class

One approach to ensuring fairness in AI is to balance the outcomes for different groups. One commonly used approach is to ensure ’balance for positive class.’ This approach ensures that the positive outcome (e.g., being approved for a loan) is distributed equally across different groups (e.g., different ethnicities or genders). This approach aims to ensure that everyone has an equal chance of receiving a positive outcome, regardless of their background.

Demographic Parity

Another approach to fairness is ’demographic parity’, which focuses on ensuring that the distribution of outcomes across different groups is equal. This approach takes into account the fact that different groups may have different starting points and may require different levels of support to achieve the same outcome. For instance, consider an AI system that is used to predict whether a person will default on a loan. If the system is biased against certain groups (e.g., minorities), it may result in an unfair outcome. To ensure demographic parity, the AI system should be trained to produce similar outcomes for all groups.

Navigating metrics

To ensure fairness in AI, it’s essential to choose appropriate metrics to measure fairness. However, this can be a challenging task, as different metrics may be appropriate for different contexts. For instance, if we’re concerned with fairness in hiring practices, we might measure fairness by the proportion of applicants who are from different groups that are shortlisted for an interview. Alternatively, if we’re concerned with fairness in loan approval, we might measure fairness by the proportion of applicants from different groups who are approved for a loan.

It’s also important to recognize that metrics can sometimes be misleading. For example, consider an AI system that is designed to detect fraud in credit card transactions. If the system is biased against certain groups, it might result in more false positives (i.e., detecting fraud where there is none) for those groups. In this case, the system might appear to be fair (as it is detecting fraud across all groups), but it is still producing an unfair outcome for certain groups.

Conclusion

In conclusion, fairness in AI is a complex and evolving field that requires careful consideration. Defining fairness is challenging, as it is a value judgment that varies depending on societal norms and cultural contexts. Ensuring fairness in AI requires choosing appropriate metrics, balancing outcomes for positive class, and aiming for demographics.