Coded Bias

The revolutionary research of scientist, artist, and activist Joy Buolamwini proved that the accuracy of commercially available facial recognition software from the likes of Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon declined as soon as it was applied to anyone not male and white. Centering on Buolamwini’s work, Coded Bias explores how the fallibility of artificial intelligence due to the implicit bias of its creators can have damaging real-world consequences. In conversation with Buolamwini and other scientists and activists, including mathematician Cathy O’Neil and Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo, the documentary shows how the widespread adoption of machine learning and automated decision making in financial services, human resources, voter registration, and law enforcement makes the racial and gender bias embedded in artificial intelligence an urgent civil rights issue.