This clip from the 2020 documentary Coded Bias explores the MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini’s discovery of racial bias in facial recognition algorithms. Directed by Shalini Kantayya, the film won multiple awards. In this clip, Buolamwini explains the racial and gender bias of the datasets used by AI, our cultural understanding of AI rooted in science fiction, and the origins of Artificial Intelligence at the Dartmouth Math Department in 1956.

discussion

What was the origin of Artificial Intelligence?

How did these origins shape our understanding of the word “intelligence”?

According to this clip, which identities are harmed by AI bias? What factors play a role in who is harmed and who benefits from AI products?

What examples of AI did you hear discussed in the film? Can you think of other examples of AI that reflect power imbalances?