Can Automation Help Us Fight Unconscious Bias?
Like it or not, the human brain is the product of millions of years of evolution in environments in which the ability to identify and categorize potential dangers in a matter of seconds could be critical to survival. As pre-human and early human societies became more complex, it was no longer just predators like lions and hyenas -- rival tribes could be as dangerous, if not more so, since they shared the complex communication and tool-making skills that were so useful in avoiding and defeating ordinary predators.
However, in the modern cosmopolitan world, that ability can often be a detriment. We live and work alongside people who look different from us, and even when we believe strongly in doing the right thing, that ancient hardwiring can betray us. (Don't believe me? I remember an account by an African American police officer in which he described how he has learned to be careful while on patrol, because African Americans make up just that percentage of the larger community as to stand out in a way that the brain becomes alert, even hypervigilant, and possibly betray the principles of equality before the law he's sworn to uphold).
But could we use technology to help mitigate these problems, to provide an objective view of human activity? For instance, take the problem of "shopping while black" -- the increased likelihood of being suspected of shoplifting, to the point that well-known individuals have been stopped while doing legitimate business, even arrested. But how do things change when the human shopkeepers and checkout clerks are replaced by a complex system of cameras and computers that track customers' selections and automatically charge them to the appropriate account?
This is the system that one finds in the Amazon Go store, which has now expanded beyond the original employee commissary in Seattle to several stores that are open to any Amazon.com customer with the appropriate smartphone app. And this CNET correspondent, who had lived with the stress of "shopping while black" since childhood, found that after her initial reflexive dread, shopping there became a welcome moment of relief, of being able to let down her guard and pick up what she wanted without fearing that someone would interpret her actions as intent to steal.
It's not a panacea, and it's not going to suddenly make everything perfect. But it's a step in a good direction.
However, in the modern cosmopolitan world, that ability can often be a detriment. We live and work alongside people who look different from us, and even when we believe strongly in doing the right thing, that ancient hardwiring can betray us. (Don't believe me? I remember an account by an African American police officer in which he described how he has learned to be careful while on patrol, because African Americans make up just that percentage of the larger community as to stand out in a way that the brain becomes alert, even hypervigilant, and possibly betray the principles of equality before the law he's sworn to uphold).
But could we use technology to help mitigate these problems, to provide an objective view of human activity? For instance, take the problem of "shopping while black" -- the increased likelihood of being suspected of shoplifting, to the point that well-known individuals have been stopped while doing legitimate business, even arrested. But how do things change when the human shopkeepers and checkout clerks are replaced by a complex system of cameras and computers that track customers' selections and automatically charge them to the appropriate account?
This is the system that one finds in the Amazon Go store, which has now expanded beyond the original employee commissary in Seattle to several stores that are open to any Amazon.com customer with the appropriate smartphone app. And this CNET correspondent, who had lived with the stress of "shopping while black" since childhood, found that after her initial reflexive dread, shopping there became a welcome moment of relief, of being able to let down her guard and pick up what she wanted without fearing that someone would interpret her actions as intent to steal.
It's not a panacea, and it's not going to suddenly make everything perfect. But it's a step in a good direction.