Algorithms, Bias, and Decision-Making: Podcast Insights from IBM Leaders
Lisa Seacat DeLuca
To prevent biased algorithms you need to make sure you have unbiased training data on hand. You also need algorithms to be developed by a diverse set of people.
–Lisa Seacat DeLuca, Director of Offering Management and Distinguished Engineer for IBM Watson Internet of Things
Amber Grewal
How do we select vendors and what do we focus on? We must ask the question: what data did AI learn from, how did you arrive at the algorithm you’re using? Are you validating? What is the purpose of the data? How is the AI learning?
–Amber Grewal, Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition at IBM
Show Notes
Recently Amazon announced it had shut down a talent-finding algorithm built by its internal team. Why? Because it was perpetuating bias against women at the tech giant, which is unacceptable in today’s work environment.
With so many bots, algorithms and other tools being used to automate our work and personal lives, it’s important to think about how this affects each of us. Is there bias in the algorithms that drive our decisions? If so, how do we mitigate that?
In today’s episode, Ben talks with two IBM leaders with diverse perspectives on AI, bias, and more. Lisa Seacat DeLuca and Amber Grewal both join the show to talk about how they see AI benefiting the workplace but also how to watch for bias and prevent it from creeping into the finished product.
Links to the references made by Lisa and Amber on the podcast:
What are your thoughts? Can algorithms be trained, or will they always be biased to some degree? What can other firms learn from IBM’s trailblazing approach?
Ben Eubanks is the Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory. He is an author, speaker, and researcher with a passion for telling stories and making complex topics easy to understand.
His latest book Artificial Intelligence for HR (3rd Ed) showcases how employers can balance AI adoption with a people-first approach. It is the world’s most-cited research on AI applications for HR.
His other books include Talent Scarcity, which answers the question every business leader has asked in recent years: “Where have the high-quality workers gone, and how do we hire and keep them?” It shares practical and strategic recruiting and retention ideas and case studies for every employer.
Ben has more than 15 years of experience both as an HR/recruiting executive as well as a researcher on workplace topics. His work is practical, relevant, and valued by practitioners from F100 firms to SMB organizations across the globe.
He has spoken to tens of thousands of HR professionals across the globe and enjoys sharing about technology, talent practices, and more. His speaking credits include the SHRM Annual Conference, Seminarium International, PeopleMatters Dubai and India, and over 100 other notable events.
