Show Notes on Tay Bot Tay Bot was a very short-lived chat AI. Launched by Microsoft in 2016 with the goal of researching conversational speech online, it soon learned all-too-well from users that there is a very dark side to human nature on the internet. Within 24 hours, Tay Bot was both repeating and generating […]

Show Notes on Incorporate Inclusivity Data scientists develop algorithms that have broad reach across the population. Chances are that the data science team building these widely-impactful models are not, themselves, large enough to represent so big a swath of the population. How can a small, likely less-diverse team acquire the wisdom of many? In this […]

Show Notes on Apple Credit Card Apple recently decided to offer a branded Apple credit card in conjunction with Goldman Sachs. This is the first foray into consumer credit cards for both companies and all did not go according to plan. David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Ruby on Rails, applied for the card and tweeted […]

Show Notes on Retain Responsibility One of the core tenets of ethical behavior in data science revolves around the concept of needing to retain responsibility or accountability. A differentiator between our take on this and that most commonly conveyed is the distinction between the two terms. Why, then, do we use the term “responsibility” instead […]

Data is infinite. Digital is inevitable. Sheila Colclasure This week we are talking about the efforts underway around the world to promote ethical, accountable data use, the promise and terror of AI, the need for a universal translator, and much more. Leading this conversation is Sheila Colclasure, Global Chief Data Ethics Officer and Public Policy […]

Show Notes on 2B-Alert The US Army commissioned a study to find the optimal amount and timing of caffeine consumption for soldiers to maintain peak alertness. I have never been more proud of my tax dollars in all my life. Now, the 2B-Alert tool has been released in a web application accessible to the public. […]

Episode 30: Colleges Fake Data for Rankings – Show Notes Going to college is a life-altering decision for young adults. They prepare themselves with academics, standardized tests, extracurricular activities, and a host of research as to the best fit for their interests. The colleges, for their part, provide marketing materials, campus outreach, tours, and more […]

Episode 29: Tesla Data Storage – Show Notes Tesla has given the world a new promise between its electric engine, sleek styling, and amazing autopilot. But under the hood lurks a dangerous secret. Every time a phone pairs with the vehicle, all of the contact data, phone call logs, messages, and more gets pulled into […]

Episode 28: Collect Carefully – Show Notes The era of Big Data has meant the ability gathering and processing of vast stores of information about almost anything. It enables data scientists to bring enormous swaths of data to bear on a given problem. Further, it expands the ability to collect data from research techniques that […]

Episode 27: Predicting Mortality – Show Notes Death comes for us all. Even for kings he comes. Robert Bolt Researchers in the UK have been able to vastly improve the capabilities to predict an early death for middle-aged patients. New algorithms were developed to be 76% accurate, even finding different indicators that were more predictive. […]

Episode 26 – Citizenship, Privacy, and the 2020 Census Show Notes The US Census happens every ten years and provides the basis for democratic representation, federal fund distribution, and swaths of research. But this time, the census is poised to potentially degrade its own results. The proposed inclusion of a single question around citizenship on […]

Episode 25 – US GDPR Show Notes Data scientists in many industries rely on personal data to develop models and make decisions. They can gather data from third parties, the internet, internal sources, and more to amass a stockpile of information on which to base algorithms. That could change if the government implements a US […]

Episode 24: Preventing Fake News – Show Notes Researchers at OpenAI have made amazing breakthroughs in natural language processing in the creation and interpretation of content. So amazing, in fact, that they have elected to withhold the full version from release so that it does not fall into malicious hands. They stated preventing fake news […]

Episode 23: Concerns About AI – Show Notes Horror stories of AI gone mad are everywhere in science fiction – but are they likely to become reality? Many Americans now believe so. Based on a recent Vox article covering a study from the University of Oxford, we discuss the top concerns about AI on the […]

Episode 22: Protect Privacy – Show Notes IT are not the only ones responsible to protect privacy of data. Data scientists share this burden as they search for, collect, store, utilize, and share vast amounts of information. In this episode, we explore what data scientists and non-practitioners should do to help protect privacy. Additional Links […]

Episode 21: Differential Pricing in Opaque Markets – Show Notes Why do some people pay $120 and others pay $650 for a seat on the same airplane? Or the same car insurance policy? Differential pricing is everywhere but it is especially prevalent in opaque, algorithm-driven markets. Is it fair to charge differently for different people? […]

Episode 20: Price Discrimination in Retail – Show Notes Price discrimination is when companies show different prices to different customers based on what each customer is willing to pay. For many retailers, that means gathering data and creating algorithms that predict what a customer will spend on each item. Is it fair to force customers […]

Episode 19: Proxy Variables – Show Notes This quick, informational segment introduces the concept of proxy variables. In short, proxy variables are data elements used in place of something that may be more pertinent but also more difficult to measure. It also touches on confounding and lurking variables – in case you wanted a dose […]

Episode 18: Train Transparently – Show Notes As algorithms are created and unleashed upon the world, it is crucial to understand not only what they are but how they came to be. The best way to accomplish this before chaos is wreaked is to train transparently – meaning to let people know what is going […]

Season’s greetings to you! Thank you for joining us this year for the Data Science Ethics Podcast. We’re loving this an we’re thrilled for what’s still to come. We’ve got some great topics on deck for 2019 and are continuing to make progress towards launching the members only podcast. We look forward to having you […]

Episode 17: Daylight Savings Time and Confirmation Bias – Show Notes This episode was inspired by a clear lack of sleep. Today, we are discussing confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is when people seek out only the evidence that supports their point of view while dismissing contrary evidence. An example might be a smoker highlighting a […]

Episode 16: The Moral Machine – Show Notes MIT conducted a long-term study called the Moral Machine that spanned the globe. It posed seemingly-simply questions about what a driverless car should do. These were variations on the trolley problem – a classic ethical dilemma about whether the driver of a runaway trolley should avoid striking […]

Episode 15: Transparency and Reputational Risk – Show Notes Between the mortgage crisis, Madoff Scandall, and Wells Fargo’s fraudulent account openings, banks have had a rough go of it. They have become increasingly aware and sensitive to the effects of reputational risk. To counter these possible problems, many banks have implemented more stringent policies for […]