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OAKLAND, CA — Today Consumer Reports in partnership with the Kapor Foundation released BAD INPUT, a video series directed by Filmmaker Alice Gu, exploring biases in algorithms and data sets and the resulting potential for harm, specifically among communities of color. The series is designed to educate consumers on the risks hidden in seemingly “neutral” technologies, with three chapters detailing examples across healthcare, mortgage lending, and facial recognition technology.
The series draws from experts in several fields, including medicine, finance, law, and technology, to compile a diverse mix of perspectives. Featured interviewees include Dr. Timnit Gebru, leading AI ethics researcher and activist, Dr. Allison Scott, CEO of the Kapor Foundation, Dr. Chris Gilliard, Just Tech Fellow at the Social Science Research Council, Dr. Crystal Grant, Technology Fellow at ACLU, Jason Downs, Co-Chair, State Attorney General, Practice Group Brownstein, Melissa Koide, CEO of the nonprofit FinRegLab, Kareem Saleh, Founder & CEO, Fairplay AI, Dr. Michael Akinwumi, Chief Tech Equity Officer, NFHA, Vinhcent Lee, Sr. Legal Counsel for Technology Equity and Dr. Thomas Valley, professor of medicine at the University of Michigan.
“Algorithms are now present in our daily lives and can have detrimental effects to communities of color and marginalized groups in areas such as mortgage lending, medical devices, and facial recognition technology,” said Amira Dhalla, Director of Impact Partnerships and Programs at Consumer Reports. “BAD INPUT explores these challenges and how we can begin addressing potential harms with greater transparency and accountability so that no one is negatively impacted by these hidden, prejudiced systems.”
“Algorithms are not good, bad or neutral,” said Dr. Michael Akinwumi, Chief Tech Equity Officer at the National Fair Housing Alliance and who’s interviewed in the series. “They are like mirrors reflecting and magnifying bias and prejudices in their input. These bad inputs may be created by discriminatory regulatory policies and/or business processes that lack adequate oversights. Independent auditing and modern risk management frameworks can deliver AI benefits to average consumers while mitigating risks in the input.”
“Approximately 50 million adults in the U.S. are unable to be credit risk assessed and therefore may lack access to, or be priced out of the market for safe and responsible lines of credit,” commented FinRegLab CEO Melissa Koide. “Advances in complex algorithms and the accompanying use of different types of data to determine an individual’s credit worthiness may help to overcome these access challenges. However, getting the data right, and requiring human oversight of the algorithms in these machine learning models are vital to ensuring we do not exacerbate generations of financial exclusion and wealth inequality.”
“Educating the public on these risks and their impacts on communities of color is the first step towards advocating for more industry oversight, accountability and creation of more inclusive and equitable products,” explained Lili Gangas, Chief Technology Community Officer at Kapor Foundation. “We hope BAD INPUT will drive much needed awareness and inspire policy change for some of the most consequential issues of our time.”
The BAD INPUT video series is supported through the Kapor Foundation’s Equitable Technology Policy Initiative, a commitment to ensure the participation and protection of Black, Latinx, and Native communities in the technology economy. The initiative, created in November of 2022, has provided over $5M in funding to over a dozen organizations, including the Algorithmic Justice League and DAIR Institute, to support improvements to tech policy.
To learn more, take action, and view the full BAD INPUT video series, visit badinput.org.
About Kapor Center
The Kapor Center family of organizations–Kapor Foundation, Kapor Capital, and SMASH–all work collectively to dismantle racial and gender disparities and create a more equitable technology ecosystem. The Kapor Center is a recognized leader in the movement to enhance diversity and inclusion in the technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem through increasing access to tech and STEM education programs, conducting research on access and opportunity in computing, investing in community organizations and gap-closing tech startups, and increasing access to capital among diverse entrepreneurs. For more information, visit www.kaporcenter.org.
Founded in 1936, CR has a mission to create a fair and just marketplace for all. Widely known for our rigorous research and testing of products and services, we also survey millions of consumers each year, report extensively on marketplace issues, and advocate for consumer rights and protections around safety as well as digital rights, financial fairness, and sustainability. CR is independent and nonprofit.
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