Addressing fairness concerns

The first step in solving a problem is to know the problem exists. Right now, most people who create models have no idea that a problem exists. This lack of knowledge and understanding is the reason that models such as those used in the Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS) software fail on a grand scale. If the software had been vetted with some type of fairness indicator, then there is a higher likelihood that it would have produced a fair result. The following sections look at methods of working with fairness indicators that make it possible to produce models that output a fairer result.

Is a completely fair result possible?

It isn’t actually possible to create a completely fair result today. There is a paradox involved. Either a model can treat groups fairly or it can treat individuals fairly. You can find a wealth of white papers on the topic, such as On the Apparent Conflict Between Individual and...