Research Guides: FYS 101: Algorithmic Bias and Misinformation

Algorithmic Bias and Misinformation Resources: Videos

Misinformation Resources: Articles

Algorithmic Bias and Misinformation Resources: Books

Algorithms of Oppression by Safiya Umoja Noble
ISBN: 9781479849949
Publication Date: 2018-02-20
A revealing look at how negative biases against women of color are embedded in search engine results and algorithms Run a Google search for "black girls"--what will you find? "Big Booty" and other sexually explicit terms are likely to come up as top search terms. But, if you type in "white girls," the results are radically different. The suggested porn sites and un-moderated discussions about "why black women are so sassy" or "why black women are so angry" presents a disturbing portrait of black womanhood in modern society. In Algorithms of Oppression, Safiya Umoja Noble challenges the idea that search engines like Google offer an equal playing field for all forms of ideas, identities, and activities. Data discrimination is a real social problem; Noble argues that the combination of private interests in promoting certain sites, along with the monopoly status of a relatively small number of Internet search engines, leads to a biased set of search algorithms that privilege whiteness and discriminate against people of color, specifically women of color.
I, Human by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
ISBN: 9781647820558
Publication Date: 2023-02-28
In I, Human psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic takes readers on an enthralling and eye-opening journey across the AI landscape. Though AI has the potential to change our lives for the better, he argues, AI is also worsening our bad tendencies, making us more distracted, selfish, biased, narcissistic, entitled, predictable, and impatient. It doesn't have to be this way. Filled with fascinating insights about human behavior and our complicated relationship with technology, I, Human will help us stand out and thrive when many of our decisions are being made for us. It's up to us to adapt and determine how we want to live and work.
The Alignment Problem by Brian Christian
ISBN: 9780393635829
Publication Date: 2020-10-06
Today's "machine-learning" systems, trained by data, are so effective that we've invited them to see and hear for us--and to make decisions on our behalf. But alarm bells are ringing. When the systems we attempt to teach will not, in the end, do what we want or what we expect, ethical and potentially existential risks emerge. Researchers call this the alignment problem. The mathematical and computational models driving these changes range in complexity from something that can fit on a spreadsheet to a complex system that might credibly be called "artificial intelligence." They are steadily replacing both human judgment and explicitly programmed software. In best-selling author Brian Christian's riveting account, we meet the alignment problem's "first-responders," and learn their ambitious plan to solve it before our hands are completely off the wheel. The Alignment Problem offers an unflinching reckoning with humanity's biases and blind spots, our own unstated assumptions and often contradictory goals.
The Misinformation Age by Cailin O'Connor; James Owen Weatherall
ISBN: 9780300234015
Publication Date: 2019-01-08
Why should we care about having true beliefs? And why do demonstrably false beliefs persist and spread despite bad, even fatal, consequences for the people who hold them? Philosophers of science Cailin O'Connor and James Weatherall argue that social factors, rather than individual psychology, are what's essential to understanding the spread and persistence of false beliefs. The Misinformation Age, written for a political era riven by "fake news," "alternative facts," shows convincingly that what you believe depends on who you know. If social forces explain the persistence of false belief, we must understand how those forces work in order to fight misinformation effectively.

Foolproof by Sander Van Der Linden
ISBN: 9780393881448
Publication Date: 2023-03-21
From fake news to conspiracy theories, from inflammatory memes to misleading headlines, misinformation has swiftly become the defining problem of our era. The crisis threatens the integrity of our democracies, our ability to cultivate trusting relationships, even our physical and psychological well-being--yet most attempts to combat it have proven insufficient. In Foolproof, one of the world's leading experts on misinformation lays out a crucial new paradigm for understanding and defending ourselves against the worldwide infodemic. With remarkable clarity, Sander van der Linden explains why our brains are so vulnerable to misinformation, how it spreads across social networks, and what we can do to protect ourselves and others. Like a virus, misinformation infects our minds, exploiting shortcuts in how we see and process information to alter our beliefs, modify our memories, and replicate at astonishing rates. Once the virus takes hold, it's very hard to cure. Strategies like fact-checking and debunking can leave a falsehood still festering or, at worst, even strengthen its hold. But we aren't helpless. As van der Linden shows based on award-winning original research, we can cultivate immunity through the innovative science of "prebunking": inoculating people against false information by preemptively exposing them to a weakened dose, thus empowering them to identify and fend off its manipulative tactics. Deconstructing the characteristic techniques of conspiracies and misinformation, van der Linden gives readers practical tools to defend themselves and others against nefarious persuasion--whether at scale or around their own dinner table.

Algorithmic Bias Resources: Scholarly Articles

Data's Impact on Algorithmic Bias

This article focuses on the data that social media platforms collect. It explains how this collected data effects the algorithmic systems and the impact of negative feedback loops on AI.

Algorithmic bias amplifies opinion fragmentation and polarization: A bounded confidence model

Online media platforms push content based off of popularity and proximity which leads to algorithmic bias. This article delves into how these algorithmic biases affect opinion fragmentation and polarization and it utilizes a simple opinion dynamics model based on bounded confidence.

Algorithmic bias: on the implicit biases of social technology

This paper takes a more philosophical take on the connection between human biases and algorithmic biases.

Misinformation Resources: Scholarly Articles

The spreading of misinformation online

This article focuses on the causes of rumor spreading and conspiracy theories online by analyzing Facebook. "Echo chambers" are one of the main drivers of the spread of misinformation.

Online misinformation about climate change

This paper focuses on misinformation directly related to climate change and how it happens. It also shares ways to combat misinformation related to climate change and useful infographics.

Defining Misinformation and Understanding its Bounded Nature: Using Expertise and Evidence for Describing Misinformation

With the growing research on misinformation, this article aims to give a clear explanation and definition of misinformation.

Countering Misinformation and Fake News Through Inoculation and Prebunking

In this article, they review the best ways to combat misinformation. They review various techniques and focus on inoculation which is telling people beforehand that they might be given incorrect information.

Combating Fake News: A Survey on Identification and Mitigation Techniques

This includes a comprehensive explanation of fake news and the technological challenges of mitigating the spread of it.

A Systematic Review Of COVID-19 Misinformation Interventions: Lessons Learned: Study examines COVID-19 misinformation interventions and lessons learned

This is a systematic review of the effectiveness of various mitigation techniques used against COVID-19 misinformation. It calls for more public health experts to be involved in the design of techniques to counter misinformation related to health.

Defining Misinformation and Related Terms in Health-Related Literature: Scoping Review

This study focuses on the impact misinformation has in the health field. This is a systematic review of the literature in the field that focus on studying misinformation related to health and medicine.

Algorithmic Bias Resources: Articles

I unintentionally created a biased algorithm 25 years ago
I unintentionally created a biased AI algorithm 25 years ago – tech companies are still making the same mistake

FYS 101: Algorithmic Bias and Misinformation