Just as systemic racism isn't the result of one individual with bad intent that could be taken out to fix it, AI isn't any different than any other bureaucratic tool. They get trained on racist data, but the very goal of going after "likely shiplifters" is a racist end. Anyone that works retail knows how often managers are calling over radio asking you to keep an eye out for a black guy wearing a shirt. AI isn't really introducing new racism where less existed before, it just creates an excuse for the racism that it was totally the computer and not vague guidelines about "suspicious activity" we get told to look for with the complete understanding they mean black people who park too close to the store.
Just as systemic racism isn't the result of one individual with bad intent that could be taken out to fix it, AI isn't any different than any other bureaucratic tool. They get trained on racist data, but the very goal of going after "likely shiplifters" is a racist end. Anyone that works retail knows how often managers are calling over radio asking you to keep an eye out for a black guy wearing a shirt. AI isn't really introducing new racism where less existed before, it just creates an excuse for the racism that it was totally the computer and not vague guidelines about "suspicious activity" we get told to look for with the complete understanding they mean black people who park too close to the store.