SlideShare a Scribd company logo
sources of
bias and explanation
Alan Dix
Computational Foundry
Swansea
http://alandix.com/academic/talks/PIT-2019-bias-and-explanation/
Tiree
Tiree Tech Wave
3-7 October
Computational Foundry
Swansea University
the foundry
building
mission
community
Sources of Bias and Explanation
Sources of Bias and Explanation
Sources of Bias and Explanation
types of algorithms …
rules and regulations
ordinary code
classic AI
machine learning and neural nets
increasing
opacity
when things go wrong – deliberate
misuse
hacking
bad use
cyberwarfare – Stuxnet, etc.
autonomous weapons
when things go wrong – well meaning
accidents
autonomous car crashes
unintended consequences
bias (gender, ethnicity)
disproportionate social effects
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00017s4 (report @ 1:41:00 in)
25 years back …
Sources of Bias and Explanation
warns of the danger of gender and ethnic bias in
black-box machine learning systems
gives example: database queries using ID3
offers (partial) solution: Query-by-Browsing
and even some broader heuristics
inter alia …
yes, 25 years ago!
Sources of Bias and Explanation
Query-by-Browsing
creating scructable
internal representations
Query by Browsing
user chooses records of interest
 tick for those wanted
 cross for those not wanted
system infers query
web version uses rule induction
variant of Quinlan’s ID3
www.meandeviation.com/qbb
Query by Browsing
what it looks like
user asks
system to
make a query
system infers
SQL query
query results
highlighted
Query by Browsing
dual representation
query (intensional)
for precision
listing (extensional)
for understanding
Query by Browsing – how it works
examples
machine
learning
SQL query
cond
cond
decision
tree
Sources of Bias and Explanation
it is not just about
being accurate
not just right
but also upright
learning
past bias in
training data
training
data
learnt
rules
objective
function
societal
bias in goals
‘best’ may
be biased
learning
past bias in
training data
training
data
learnt
rules
objective
function
societal
bias in goals
‘best’ may
be biased
algorithms reflect society
mimicking human behaviour and choices
learning
past bias in
training data
training
data
learnt
rules
objective
function
societal
bias in goals
‘best’ may
be biased
pandering to human bias
(effective outcomes?)
• dating sites using ethnicity (CHI 2018!)
• young pretty waitresses sell more drinks
• Trump (reportedly) hiding black employees at
casino when certain rich customers arrived
• BBC (& others) paying male presenters more
because they are more popular
‘good’ business
but is it good?
learning
past bias in
training data
training
data
learnt
rules
objective
function
societal
bias in goals
‘best’ may
be biased
reinforcing societal/cultural norms
at school
boys more likely to study STEM subjects
girls more likely to study humanities
so, on average, with no other information
gender is an (albeit poor) predictor
of communication skills
and engineering knowledge
as a society we choose
to use other (and better)
predictors
innate (but largely irrelevant) differences
men are (on average) larger and stronger
so gender is a Bayesian predictor of strength
this may explain gender differences in some jobs
but …
it does NOT justify employment discrimination
bias is not about
algorithmic correctness
it is about social choice
the choice of input features
often critical in
creating or controlling bias
more data not always better!
Note:
human reasoning is
poor at ignoring low quality cues
even when we have better ones
algorithms may be better?
however …
not sufficient to remove explicit indicators:
gender/ethnicity/disability/religion
potential correlating factors e.g. clothing
algorithms need to actively avoid discrimination
and how do we know our
algorithms are OK?
Not just bias
safety – e.g. autonomous cars
democracy – e.g. social media, fake news
health and well being – e.g. soft-drink adverts
social issues – e.g. credit ratings
we need to ask
Why?
algorithmic transparency
c.f. court judgment
Sources of Bias and Explanation
an AIX Kitbag
AI explainability
how to make sense of
black-box machine-learning algorithms
crucial insight …
human–human explanations
rarely utterly precise or reproducible
but are
sufficient to inspire confidence and trust
white-box black-box
grey-box
creating scructable
internal representations
analysing and
understanding
from the outside
peeking within
understanding
internal representations
Sources of Bias and Explanation
but … this was all evident
25 years ago
why didn’t I do more?
if it is important
not sufficient to publish
you need to transform into
publicity and policy
Sources of Bias and Explanation
white-box methods
creating scructable
internal representations
WB0. choose a white box classifier!
training set
scrutable
rules
white-box
algorithm
unseen data white-box classifier outputs
WB1. black-box generation of white box
classifier
training set
scrutable
rules
black-box
algorithm
unseen data white-box classifier outputs
WB2. Adversarial examples for white-box
learning
case-base of
behaviour scrutable
rules
black-box
adversarial learning
white-box
learning
WB3. Simplification of rule set
scrutable
rules
black-box
learning
training
set
inscrutable
rules tweak
black-box methods
analysing and understanding
from the outside
BB1. exploration analysis for human
visualisation
black-box
learning
training
set
inscrutable
rules
lots of
examples
black-box
classifier
visualise
input-output
BB2. perturbation/exploration analysis for
key feature detection
black-box
learning
inscrutable
rules
randomly vary
feature values
black-box
classifier
hotspot
visualisation
BB3. perturbation analysis for central and
boundary cases
lots of
examples
black-box
classifier
central and
boundary
cases
user
visualisation
white-box
learning
BB3. close up
central cases
perturbations
do not change class
boundary cases
small perturbations
change class
penumbra
larger perturbations
change class
BB4. black-box oracle – white-box learning
input
examples
black-box
classifier
scrutable
rules
white-box
learning
input–output
pairs as
training set
output
classes
grey-box methods
peeking within
GB0a. sensitivity analysis – weights
perturb parameters in
the inscrutable rules
lots of
examples
black-box
classifier
hotspot analysis
on parameters
GB0b. sensitivity analysis – activation
input
example
black-box classifier
(low level)
extract
intermediate
activation
black-box classifier
(high level)
perturb
activations
hotspot analysis
of nodes
GB0c. sensitivity analysis – algorithmic
apply black-box
algorithm
inverse
algorithm
GB1. high level model generation
input
examples
black-box
classifier
extract
intermediate
activation
scrutable
rules
white-box
learning
activations with
output class
as training set
output
classes
GB2. Clustering and comprehension of
low level
input
examples
black-box
classifier
extract
intermediate
activation
clusters
various
algorithms
activations
as input
MDS
SOM
GB3. triad distinctions
input
examples
black-box classifier
(low level)
A
B
C
hotspot analysis
of nodes
compare
GB4. apply generatively
output to input
activation to input
output to activation
between layers

More Related Content

PPTX
Validation and mechanism: exploring the limits of evaluation
PPTX
Cognition as Material: personality prostheses and other stories
PPTX
More than a Moment.
PPTX
Formal 8 – Interaction Models – describing general properties of systems incl...
PDF
Hci activity#3
PPT
Interaction 09 Introduction to Interaction Design
PPT
HCI 3e - Ch 5: Interaction design basics
PPT
E3 chap-05
Validation and mechanism: exploring the limits of evaluation
Cognition as Material: personality prostheses and other stories
More than a Moment.
Formal 8 – Interaction Models – describing general properties of systems incl...
Hci activity#3
Interaction 09 Introduction to Interaction Design
HCI 3e - Ch 5: Interaction design basics
E3 chap-05

What's hot (20)

PPTX
Formal 5 – Dialogue models – what to do when
PPT
What Is Interaction Design
PPT
HCI 3e - Ch 4 (extra):
PPTX
Human Computer Interaction (HCI)
PDF
Hci md exam
PPT
HCI 3e - Ch 19: Groupware
PPTX
Formal 6 – A success story!
PPT
HCI - Chapter 4
PPT
HCI 3e - Ch 3 (extra):
PPTX
Modelling interactions: digital and physical – Part 1 – lightning tour
PPT
Chapter 2
PDF
Hci activity#1
PDF
Hci activity#2
PPTX
Designing to be used adoption appropriation
PPTX
Designing User Interactions with AI: Servant, Master or Symbiosis.
PDF
Cognitive Engineering and User Centered Design
PPT
HCI 3e - Ch 13: Socio-organizational issues and stakeholder requirements
PPT
HCI - Chapter 2
PPT
interaction norman model in Human Computer Interaction(HCI)
Formal 5 – Dialogue models – what to do when
What Is Interaction Design
HCI 3e - Ch 4 (extra):
Human Computer Interaction (HCI)
Hci md exam
HCI 3e - Ch 19: Groupware
Formal 6 – A success story!
HCI - Chapter 4
HCI 3e - Ch 3 (extra):
Modelling interactions: digital and physical – Part 1 – lightning tour
Chapter 2
Hci activity#1
Hci activity#2
Designing to be used adoption appropriation
Designing User Interactions with AI: Servant, Master or Symbiosis.
Cognitive Engineering and User Centered Design
HCI 3e - Ch 13: Socio-organizational issues and stakeholder requirements
HCI - Chapter 2
interaction norman model in Human Computer Interaction(HCI)
Ad

Similar to Sources of Bias and Explanation (20)

PPTX
Sufficient Reason
PDF
Algorithmic Bias - What is it? Why should we care? What can we do about it?
PDF
Algorithmic Bias : What is it? Why should we care? What can we do about it?
PDF
Ethical Algorithms: Bias in Machine Learning for NextAI
PDF
Using AI to Build Fair and Equitable Workplaces
PDF
Discrimination Discovery
PPTX
Ethical Issues in Machine Learning Algorithms (Part 2)
PPTX
Deciphering AI - Unlocking the Black Box of AIML with State-of-the-Art Techno...
PDF
Understanding Algorithmic Decisions
PDF
Fairness-aware Machine Learning: Practical Challenges and Lessons Learned (KD...
PPTX
Data ethics and machine learning: discrimination, algorithmic bias, and how t...
PDF
AI ETHICS AND BIASES (For the AI BIAS).pdf
PDF
Big data, Big prejudice: how algorithms can discriminate?
PDF
Ethical Dilemmas in AI/ML-based systems
PPTX
Testing for cognitive bias in ai systems
PDF
Detecting Algorithmic Bias (keynote at DIR 2016)
PDF
Bias in AI-systems: A multi-step approach
PDF
How do we train AI to be Ethical and Unbiased?
PPTX
Not fair! testing AI bias and organizational values
PDF
Algorithmic bias: introduction
Sufficient Reason
Algorithmic Bias - What is it? Why should we care? What can we do about it?
Algorithmic Bias : What is it? Why should we care? What can we do about it?
Ethical Algorithms: Bias in Machine Learning for NextAI
Using AI to Build Fair and Equitable Workplaces
Discrimination Discovery
Ethical Issues in Machine Learning Algorithms (Part 2)
Deciphering AI - Unlocking the Black Box of AIML with State-of-the-Art Techno...
Understanding Algorithmic Decisions
Fairness-aware Machine Learning: Practical Challenges and Lessons Learned (KD...
Data ethics and machine learning: discrimination, algorithmic bias, and how t...
AI ETHICS AND BIASES (For the AI BIAS).pdf
Big data, Big prejudice: how algorithms can discriminate?
Ethical Dilemmas in AI/ML-based systems
Testing for cognitive bias in ai systems
Detecting Algorithmic Bias (keynote at DIR 2016)
Bias in AI-systems: A multi-step approach
How do we train AI to be Ethical and Unbiased?
Not fair! testing AI bias and organizational values
Algorithmic bias: introduction
Ad

More from Alan Dix (20)

PPTX
Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture: Being smart and Being small
PPTX
Enabling the Digital Artisan – keynote at ICOCI 2025
PPTX
Whose choice? Making decisions with and about Artificial Intelligence, Keele ...
PPTX
AI Changes Everything – Talk at Cardiff Metropolitan University, 29th April 2...
PPTX
Citations and Sub-Area Bias in the UK Research Assessment Process
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 901 Time Managing Creativity Introduction
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 906 Doing Nothing
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 905 Impasse: getting unstuck
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 904 To Do and Done
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 902 Plans: staying open to creative moments
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 903 Busy Work: being productive in the gaps
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 907 The Creativity Plan
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 801 Nurture Introduction
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 802 Habits that foster creativity
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 803 Create and Capture
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 701 Personality Prostheses: working with you
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 702 One Morning: a short creativity story
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 603 Fixation and Insight
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 605 What is the Problem
PPTX
Technical Creativity – 601 Theory Introduction
Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture: Being smart and Being small
Enabling the Digital Artisan – keynote at ICOCI 2025
Whose choice? Making decisions with and about Artificial Intelligence, Keele ...
AI Changes Everything – Talk at Cardiff Metropolitan University, 29th April 2...
Citations and Sub-Area Bias in the UK Research Assessment Process
Technical Creativity – 901 Time Managing Creativity Introduction
Technical Creativity – 906 Doing Nothing
Technical Creativity – 905 Impasse: getting unstuck
Technical Creativity – 904 To Do and Done
Technical Creativity – 902 Plans: staying open to creative moments
Technical Creativity – 903 Busy Work: being productive in the gaps
Technical Creativity – 907 The Creativity Plan
Technical Creativity – 801 Nurture Introduction
Technical Creativity – 802 Habits that foster creativity
Technical Creativity – 803 Create and Capture
Technical Creativity – 701 Personality Prostheses: working with you
Technical Creativity – 702 One Morning: a short creativity story
Technical Creativity – 603 Fixation and Insight
Technical Creativity – 605 What is the Problem
Technical Creativity – 601 Theory Introduction

Recently uploaded (20)

PPTX
VMware vSphere Foundation How to Sell Presentation-Ver1.4-2-14-2024.pptx
PPTX
MYSQL Presentation for SQL database connectivity
PPT
“AI and Expert System Decision Support & Business Intelligence Systems”
PDF
Empathic Computing: Creating Shared Understanding
PPTX
sap open course for s4hana steps from ECC to s4
PPTX
Detection-First SIEM: Rule Types, Dashboards, and Threat-Informed Strategy
PDF
Per capita expenditure prediction using model stacking based on satellite ima...
PDF
Blue Purple Modern Animated Computer Science Presentation.pdf.pdf
PPTX
ACSFv1EN-58255 AWS Academy Cloud Security Foundations.pptx
PDF
Profit Center Accounting in SAP S/4HANA, S4F28 Col11
PDF
Agricultural_Statistics_at_a_Glance_2022_0.pdf
PDF
Mobile App Security Testing_ A Comprehensive Guide.pdf
PDF
Chapter 3 Spatial Domain Image Processing.pdf
PDF
The Rise and Fall of 3GPP – Time for a Sabbatical?
PPTX
Programs and apps: productivity, graphics, security and other tools
PDF
TokAI - TikTok AI Agent : The First AI Application That Analyzes 10,000+ Vira...
PDF
Peak of Data & AI Encore- AI for Metadata and Smarter Workflows
PDF
Reach Out and Touch Someone: Haptics and Empathic Computing
PDF
Dropbox Q2 2025 Financial Results & Investor Presentation
PDF
Electronic commerce courselecture one. Pdf
VMware vSphere Foundation How to Sell Presentation-Ver1.4-2-14-2024.pptx
MYSQL Presentation for SQL database connectivity
“AI and Expert System Decision Support & Business Intelligence Systems”
Empathic Computing: Creating Shared Understanding
sap open course for s4hana steps from ECC to s4
Detection-First SIEM: Rule Types, Dashboards, and Threat-Informed Strategy
Per capita expenditure prediction using model stacking based on satellite ima...
Blue Purple Modern Animated Computer Science Presentation.pdf.pdf
ACSFv1EN-58255 AWS Academy Cloud Security Foundations.pptx
Profit Center Accounting in SAP S/4HANA, S4F28 Col11
Agricultural_Statistics_at_a_Glance_2022_0.pdf
Mobile App Security Testing_ A Comprehensive Guide.pdf
Chapter 3 Spatial Domain Image Processing.pdf
The Rise and Fall of 3GPP – Time for a Sabbatical?
Programs and apps: productivity, graphics, security and other tools
TokAI - TikTok AI Agent : The First AI Application That Analyzes 10,000+ Vira...
Peak of Data & AI Encore- AI for Metadata and Smarter Workflows
Reach Out and Touch Someone: Haptics and Empathic Computing
Dropbox Q2 2025 Financial Results & Investor Presentation
Electronic commerce courselecture one. Pdf

Sources of Bias and Explanation

  • 1. sources of bias and explanation Alan Dix Computational Foundry Swansea http://alandix.com/academic/talks/PIT-2019-bias-and-explanation/
  • 2. Tiree Tiree Tech Wave 3-7 October Computational Foundry Swansea University
  • 7. types of algorithms … rules and regulations ordinary code classic AI machine learning and neural nets increasing opacity
  • 8. when things go wrong – deliberate misuse hacking bad use cyberwarfare – Stuxnet, etc. autonomous weapons
  • 9. when things go wrong – well meaning accidents autonomous car crashes unintended consequences bias (gender, ethnicity) disproportionate social effects https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00017s4 (report @ 1:41:00 in)
  • 12. warns of the danger of gender and ethnic bias in black-box machine learning systems gives example: database queries using ID3 offers (partial) solution: Query-by-Browsing and even some broader heuristics inter alia …
  • 16. Query by Browsing user chooses records of interest  tick for those wanted  cross for those not wanted system infers query web version uses rule induction variant of Quinlan’s ID3 www.meandeviation.com/qbb
  • 17. Query by Browsing what it looks like user asks system to make a query system infers SQL query query results highlighted
  • 18. Query by Browsing dual representation query (intensional) for precision listing (extensional) for understanding
  • 19. Query by Browsing – how it works examples machine learning SQL query cond cond decision tree
  • 21. it is not just about being accurate not just right but also upright
  • 22. learning past bias in training data training data learnt rules objective function societal bias in goals ‘best’ may be biased
  • 23. learning past bias in training data training data learnt rules objective function societal bias in goals ‘best’ may be biased
  • 26. learning past bias in training data training data learnt rules objective function societal bias in goals ‘best’ may be biased
  • 27. pandering to human bias (effective outcomes?) • dating sites using ethnicity (CHI 2018!) • young pretty waitresses sell more drinks • Trump (reportedly) hiding black employees at casino when certain rich customers arrived • BBC (& others) paying male presenters more because they are more popular
  • 29. learning past bias in training data training data learnt rules objective function societal bias in goals ‘best’ may be biased
  • 30. reinforcing societal/cultural norms at school boys more likely to study STEM subjects girls more likely to study humanities so, on average, with no other information gender is an (albeit poor) predictor of communication skills and engineering knowledge
  • 31. as a society we choose to use other (and better) predictors
  • 32. innate (but largely irrelevant) differences men are (on average) larger and stronger so gender is a Bayesian predictor of strength this may explain gender differences in some jobs but … it does NOT justify employment discrimination
  • 33. bias is not about algorithmic correctness it is about social choice
  • 34. the choice of input features often critical in creating or controlling bias more data not always better!
  • 35. Note: human reasoning is poor at ignoring low quality cues even when we have better ones
  • 36. algorithms may be better?
  • 37. however … not sufficient to remove explicit indicators: gender/ethnicity/disability/religion potential correlating factors e.g. clothing algorithms need to actively avoid discrimination
  • 38. and how do we know our algorithms are OK?
  • 39. Not just bias safety – e.g. autonomous cars democracy – e.g. social media, fake news health and well being – e.g. soft-drink adverts social issues – e.g. credit ratings
  • 40. we need to ask Why? algorithmic transparency c.f. court judgment
  • 42. an AIX Kitbag AI explainability how to make sense of black-box machine-learning algorithms
  • 43. crucial insight … human–human explanations rarely utterly precise or reproducible but are sufficient to inspire confidence and trust
  • 44. white-box black-box grey-box creating scructable internal representations analysing and understanding from the outside peeking within understanding internal representations
  • 46. but … this was all evident 25 years ago why didn’t I do more? if it is important not sufficient to publish you need to transform into publicity and policy
  • 49. WB0. choose a white box classifier! training set scrutable rules white-box algorithm unseen data white-box classifier outputs
  • 50. WB1. black-box generation of white box classifier training set scrutable rules black-box algorithm unseen data white-box classifier outputs
  • 51. WB2. Adversarial examples for white-box learning case-base of behaviour scrutable rules black-box adversarial learning white-box learning
  • 52. WB3. Simplification of rule set scrutable rules black-box learning training set inscrutable rules tweak
  • 53. black-box methods analysing and understanding from the outside
  • 54. BB1. exploration analysis for human visualisation black-box learning training set inscrutable rules lots of examples black-box classifier visualise input-output
  • 55. BB2. perturbation/exploration analysis for key feature detection black-box learning inscrutable rules randomly vary feature values black-box classifier hotspot visualisation
  • 56. BB3. perturbation analysis for central and boundary cases lots of examples black-box classifier central and boundary cases user visualisation white-box learning
  • 57. BB3. close up central cases perturbations do not change class boundary cases small perturbations change class penumbra larger perturbations change class
  • 58. BB4. black-box oracle – white-box learning input examples black-box classifier scrutable rules white-box learning input–output pairs as training set output classes
  • 60. GB0a. sensitivity analysis – weights perturb parameters in the inscrutable rules lots of examples black-box classifier hotspot analysis on parameters
  • 61. GB0b. sensitivity analysis – activation input example black-box classifier (low level) extract intermediate activation black-box classifier (high level) perturb activations hotspot analysis of nodes
  • 62. GB0c. sensitivity analysis – algorithmic apply black-box algorithm inverse algorithm
  • 63. GB1. high level model generation input examples black-box classifier extract intermediate activation scrutable rules white-box learning activations with output class as training set output classes
  • 64. GB2. Clustering and comprehension of low level input examples black-box classifier extract intermediate activation clusters various algorithms activations as input MDS SOM
  • 65. GB3. triad distinctions input examples black-box classifier (low level) A B C hotspot analysis of nodes compare
  • 66. GB4. apply generatively output to input activation to input output to activation between layers