Back to topics

Can an algorithm be fair in two different ways?

Imagine two groups of job applicants. A screening system could make the same proportion of one kind of error in each group, while its recommendations are more reliable for one group than the other. Both comparisons sound relevant to fairness. Which matters depends on the decision, the starting populations, and the harm caused by different mistakes.

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • Who should decide which mistakes a hiring system must minimize?
  • What changes when the groups have different starting rates of the outcome being predicted?

Start reading

Ready to try your ideas aloud?

Your topic carries over. Record up to 2½ minutes, depending on your plan.

Computers and AI

Why can a damaged QR code still work?

A scratch or stain does not always stop a QR code from being read. Its stored information includes redundancy, but that does not mean any part of the image can be covered without consequence.

3–5 min

Why can a damaged QR code still work?

Computers and AI3–5 minA scratch or stain does not always stop a QR code from being read. Its stored information includes redundancy, but that does not mean any part of the image can be covered without consequence.

Computers and AI

How does a website name become an internet address?

You remember a website by its name, while the network needs an address for the connection. DNS supplies that translation, sometimes from a saved answer and sometimes by asking other servers.

4–5 min

How does a website name become an internet address?

Computers and AI4–5 minYou remember a website by its name, while the network needs an address for the connection. DNS supplies that translation, sometimes from a saved answer and sometimes by asking other servers.

Computers and AI

Same emoji, different picture

The same emoji can arrive with a different expression or style from the one you saw when sending it. Unicode identifies characters and sequences, while software platforms choose artwork and decide what their versions support.

2–3 min

Same emoji, different picture

Computers and AI2–3 minThe same emoji can arrive with a different expression or style from the one you saw when sending it. Unicode identifies characters and sequences, while software platforms choose artwork and decide what their versions support.

Can an algorithm be fair in two different ways? | Speech Topic | speaking.app