Without swift, decisive action, the promise that artificial intelligence (AI)/ machine learning (MI) will bring about a more just and humane world will not simply be frustrated but permanently inverted. This course critically examines and seeks solutions for the world we are creating: a world governed by an algorithmically-enforced apartheid, where automated decision-making systems maintain an eternally rigged status quo. The profound problems with automated decision-making are manifold-from being hidden and unchallengeable to being legally protected by courts when challenged. Step by step, line of code by line of code, our smartest and most innovative organizations in technology and science are ensuring that our technology -from sink faucets to package delivery, from resume scanners to language translation, from face recognition to criminal sentencing- encodes and perpetuates the gender, racial, and other biases present in human society. Disparate impact created by AI/ML bias requires that citizens, courts, and governments work together to create the legal and policy frameworks and standards necessary to protect the rights and lives of individuals.
