Create an independent body to regulate AI and prevent it from discriminating against disadvantaged groups

Qihang Lin, associate professor of business analytics at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, studies artificial intelligence and discrimination with a National Science Foundation grant.

Based on his research, he believes an independent third-party organization must be created to regulate AI systems specifically to ensure decisions made by the algorithms are fair and don’t discriminate against disadvantaged groups.

He said that without safeguards in place, algorithms can easily become discriminatory if the people who are designing and programming them are not careful.

Lin says the regulatory organization could be a government agency, in a similar way that the U.S. Department of Agriculture holds food producers to standards that ensure our food is safe to eat. Or it could be an industry group, similar to the way ISO certification is awarded to businesses that meet certain management or operational standards by an independent third party. In fact, he said there already are ISO standards that apply to AI for things like security, but none of them pertain to discrimination.

He believes such a certification system would add credibility to AI products and reduce public concern that decisions made with algorithms are being done so unfairly. It would also help businesses by reducing the likelihood that their decisions are biased and in violation of state or federal discrimination laws.