Technology Magazine November 2022 | Page 129

AI AND ML
have partnered with industry-recognised organisations for wider recognition . “ Understanding data governance and how to use ML effectively is going to reach almost every department in every business .”
As departments take on data governance as part of their own responsibilities , dedicated roles are required to ensure data management and governance is given the attention it requires , says Young .
“ There may be a need for internal AI / ML data governance awareness courses as well as developmental plans for employees so that they come to understand their role and responsibilities . Some organisations have developed these in-house , while others
Hidden signals could create machine bias without human oversight ML and AI models present their own , new ethical concerns that will have to be addressed . Some organisations remove so-called ‘ protected characteristics ’ – typically referring to gender , race , ethnicity or age – when importing data for processing by an ML algorithm , says Young .
“ However , without that information , the machine could begin demonstrating unconscious bias in predictions based on patterns , which can then lead to harmful outputs and – in doing so – harm the protected characteristics that they were intending to protect ,” explains Young . Hidden signals exist in data , so the final outputs require careful investigation and checking by a human . Businesses should introduce regular checks to any AI / ML model they are running for data processing .
One of the new roles for humans will be inspection and quality control over machines , particularly where bias is concerned , asserts Young . Humans will also be required to ensure ML models are deployed for the right reasons and not unintentionally being used in ways that could influence other aspects of the business in a negative way .
“ Without these , it ’ s difficult to know whether a model is unintentionally creating bias or drifting ,” he says . “ It ' s important to understand that just removing sensitive data is not the answer , even if that might seem like the most obvious solution . Humans need to be on hand to intervene .”
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