[dba-Tech] the ethical algorithm

[Peter Brawley]

Haven't yet finished "The Ethical Algorithm: The Science of Socially 
Aware Algorithm Design" by Michael Kearns & Aaron Roth, but I can say 
it's terrific and oh so relevant.

Wait, how can an algorithm be (un)ethical? Isn't it just a tool, like a 
hammer? Not quite. An algorithm makes decisions based on the model it's 
using and the data it finds. Such decisions are unpredictable, can 
implement intended or unintended biases, and can have serious personal & 
social consequences.

Early in the book they describe a 1990s incident that highlighted 
cyberprivacy concerns. Massachusetts released historical medical data on 
state employees for medical research purposes. A good progressive move, 
right? Individual privacy was protected by removal of individual 
identifiers like name, address, social security number. A young graduate 
student said wait a minute, if I cross-reference this data with drivers' 
licences & voter lists, I can match the anonymised medical data with 
names ages & addresses. To make the point she sent the governor of 
Massachusetts his medical history.

Kearns & Roth address algorithmic privacy, fairness, interpretability, 
morality, and the possibility of an ultraintelligent machine (an AI 
"singularity"). Privacy is the most mature (or if you prefer, the least 
immature) domain, but they're all fascinating & worrying. Recommended.

PB