Is AI Really Leveling the Playing Field for All?

Newsletter 35

Artificial Intelligence has been touted as a tool to level the playing field, but the reality is more complex. The original sin of AI’s development—scraping the internet for data—means it has inherited all the biases of that data, including those related to race and marginalized communities. AI systems are only as unbiased as the information they are trained on, and the internet is riddled with systemic inequalities, misinformation, and historical biases.

One of the clearest examples is facial recognition technology, which struggles with identifying people of color accurately, often leading to false arrests and misidentifications. These systems, used by law enforcement, perpetuate racial inequalities by disproportionately targeting African Americans and other minority groups. Another example is AI-driven predictive policing tools, which rely on historical crime data that often reflect biased policing practices. These systems end up over-policing certain communities, further marginalizing them.

Access to AI tools is another major issue. Many marginalized communities lack reliable broadband or Wi-Fi access, limiting their ability to benefit from AI’s potential. This digital divide only reinforces existing inequalities, as AI becomes another tool that is more accessible to those already in positions of privilege.

Healthcare AI has shown similar bias. Algorithms designed to prioritize patient care have been found to underestimate the health needs of Black patients because they use healthcare costs as a proxy, which inadvertently favors those who can afford more comprehensive care. This leads to lower-quality care for socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, reinforcing health disparities.

Hiring algorithms, another area where AI could have been a force for good, also reflect existing biases. AI systems trained on historical hiring data have shown favoritism toward white candidates, excluding qualified minority applicants. The AI learns from past decisions that reflect existing workforce inequalities, further entrenching these disparities.

Sentiment analysis, used in social media and customer service, misinterprets the language and dialects commonly used by African American or minority communities, leading to biased assessments. This can harm customer interactions and negatively affect public relations for companies employing these tools.

In conclusion, while AI has the potential to drive progress and inclusion, it is not yet leveling the playing field for all. Until we address the biases embedded in AI's development and ensure equal access to its benefits, it risks reinforcing the very inequalities it was meant to overcome.

Sources: The unseen Black faces of AI algorithms

AI Roundup

AI Adopters Aren’t Slashing Jobs So Far, NY Fed Survey Shows

It’s working! Firms that adopted artificial intelligence aren’t shedding large numbers of staff, and they expect to be net hirers in the coming months, according to a regional survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The goal is to up skill your most valuable assets, your loyal employees.

Mickey Mouse Smoking: How AI Image Tools Are Generating New Content-Moderation Problems

xAI and Google both released products that have created controversy over ethical and legal boundaries. Let alone Elon Musk touting his own brand of moderation when he is guilty of propaganda himself. #GMWAS

The Internet Archive Loses Its Appeal of a Major Copyright Case

Hachette v. Internet Archive was brought by book publishers objecting to the archive’s digital lending library. Watch this case as it has implications on fair use and copyright within the AI world.

Svetlana on Spotify

In this episode of RealmIQ Sessions, host Curt Doty interviews Svetlana Makarova, a leader in AI solutions. Download and Watch Svetlana’s full session here.

Svetlana shares insights from her journey, starting with a background in biochemistry and psychology, and evolving into a career focused on AI-driven digital solutions. The discussion centers around her experience in healthcare, where she has developed AI solutions that improve healthcare delivery, including expertise-finding tools and clinical decision support systems. They also explore broader AI adoption in industries beyond healthcare, the importance of AI governance, the role of large language models (LLMs), and strategies for scaling AI within enterprises. Svetlana emphasizes the importance of empowering teams through workshops and practical engagement with AI tools.

Our Next El Sailon

The Future of Work: The guest speaker for this week’s El Sailon is Joe Thurman. He is an entrepreneur, community leader, and talent expert, currently serving as the founder and CEO of TalentBloom.ai, a VC-backed SaaS company revolutionizing the identification and selection of talent in healthcare clinical roles through advanced data analytics, machine learning, and AI. With over 15 years of experience in the talent and HR technology space, Joe is passionate about leveraging the intersection of human potential and technological innovation to build exceptional teams.

As a second-time founder, Joe has guided hundreds of teams in reimagining how they attract, engage, and develop talent. Prior to TalentBloom.ai, he founded a successful HR consultancy that supported numerous Fortune 250 companies. Joe is a firm believer in the future of work, driven by technology that fosters more equitable, efficient, and validated hiring processes.

In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Joe has served on the boards of A+ Colorado, the Colorado Technology Association, Colorado Inclusive Economy, and continues to be a mentor for innovative startups through the Central Mountain Entrepreneurs startup community, contributing to the advancement of inclusive and innovative practices in both education and the broader technology sector.

September 10

5:30 – 7:30pm

The Violet Crown, Santa Fe

Light dinner will be served.

RSVP to Curt@realmIQ.com

About the Author

Curt Doty specializes in branding, product development, social strategy, integrated marketing, and UXD. He has extensive experience on AI-driven platforms MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Murf.ai, and DALL-E. His legacy of entertainment branding: Electronic Arts, EA Sports, ProSieben, SAT.1, WBTV Latin America, Discovery Health, ABC, CBS, A&E, StarTV, Fox, Kabel 1, TV Guide Channel, and Prevue Channel.

He is a sought after public speaker having been featured at Streaming Media NYC, Digital Hollywood, Mobile Growth Association, Mobile Congress, App Growth Summit, Promax, CES, CTIA, NAB, NATPE, MMA Global, New Mexico Angels, Santa Fe Business Incubator, EntrepeneursRx and AI Impact. His AI consultancy RealmIQ helps companies manage the AI Revolution.

© 2024 Curt Doty Company LLC. All rights reserved. RealmIQ is a division of the Curt Doty Company. Reproduction, in whole or part, without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher is not responsible for any AI errors or omissions.