Fight unfair algorithm bias with strong supervision
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◎Li Yanwen
During the 34th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that the development of the digital economy should be regulated, and the promotion of development and regulatory standards must be grasped at both hands and both hands must be regulated and developed in the course of development.
In recent years, with the rapid development of the Internet economy, some large-scale platform companies have sprung up. With the help of modern information methods such as big data and artificial intelligence, their business covers online shopping, transportation, travel and accommodation, ordering food and delivery, and online games.
However, when platform companies provide products or services, they also expose some problems that cannot be ignored: some use big data to kill familiarity; some push content that violates the law through live webcast; some brush good reviews and hide bad reviews.. ....
Many companies need to use artificial intelligence to assist decision-making, rely on algorithms to carry out "business diagnosis", obtain decision-making information, determine business strategies, and maintain a competitive advantage.
But the essence of the algorithm is a programming technology of the Internet, which requires human participation. Since it is operated by humans, it is inevitable that there will be subjective colors and injustices.
For example, some Western media reported that the U.S. health care risk prediction tool was found to have serious racial bias; Apple’s credit card algorithm has obvious problems that discriminate against women... It can be said that in the digital economy era, consumers are watching In the face of invisible algorithms, they become a "vulnerable group", and their rights and interests are urgently needed to be protected.
If unfair algorithms are allowed to develop disorderly, it will not only destroy the market environment of fair competition, but also make consumers become targets of technical bullying, which will fundamentally affect the development of the digital economy.
Therefore, it is necessary to strictly supervise and effectively solve the problem of algorithm unfairness, and measures can be taken from the following aspects.
First, strengthen the top-level design of supervision.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to improve the market access system, the fair competition review system, and the fair competition supervision system, establish a comprehensive, multi-level, and three-dimensional supervision system to realize the supervision of the entire chain before and after the fact.
Regarding the regulation of algorithms, whether it is pre-regulation or in-event or post-event supervision, whether or not to conduct ethical review, we must adhere to strictness to achieve full coverage of supervision.
It is necessary to establish a hierarchical and classified supervision mechanism, and strengthen the hierarchical identification and classification management of algorithm applications.
For different algorithms, different levels and standards of supervision must be determined, and supervision must be strengthened for algorithms involving public interest, life and health, and property rights.
It is necessary to strictly regulate the targets and strictly monitor the regulatory targets.
To strengthen ethical review, it is necessary to strictly review the algorithms that involve values and moral values, especially the education of minors, and resolutely eliminate unfair soil.
It is necessary to strengthen the construction of typical cases, and list a number of typical cases around the issues of “choosing one of the two” that infringe on consumers' rights and interests that are of concern to the masses, as well as the big data, so as to increase the awareness rate of the society.
Second, strengthen the construction of relevant legal systems.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to improve the digital economy governance system, improve laws, regulations, and policy systems, and improve the modernization of my country's digital economy governance system and governance capabilities.
It is necessary to strengthen the legislative construction in the field of algorithms, and introduce relevant laws and regulations as soon as possible to fill the gaps in relevant laws.
Judicial agencies should strengthen research on algorithm application cases, issue relevant judicial interpretations as soon as possible, and strengthen the protection of consumer rights through precedents.
It is necessary to establish an algorithmic complaint response mechanism to fully protect the complaints and supervision rights of all sectors of society.
It is necessary to speed up the cultivation of a number of technical appraisal institutions and strengthen technical review capabilities.
Third, strengthen the algorithmic research of countermeasures.
To strengthen supervision of companies with monopolistic behavior, "use algorithms against algorithms", technically solve the root causes of unfairness.
Guide platform companies to increase investment, deepen algorithm research, introduce valuable results, solve technical injustices, and reshape market competition mechanisms.
For algorithms that may infringe on the rights and interests of consumers, we must take measures to actively prevent them and resolve hidden dangers in the bud; for unfair algorithms that have occurred, we must actively research new technologies and new methods to deal with them. If they cannot be solved for a while, stop first. Platform-related business operations.
Resolute measures must be taken to deal with the problems of big data and price discrimination.
Fourth, strengthen the construction of regulatory institutions.
Relevant government departments may consider setting up specialized agencies to be responsible for the formulation of algorithm application ethics, rules, and standards, conduct timely investigation and handling of unfair algorithms, strengthen effective supervision of algorithm applications, and ensure that the algorithms used by operators are known, checkable, and reversible. In the event of a dispute, data and related materials can be provided to judicial organs and third-party organizations to ensure that the algorithm application can be verified and explained; the burden of proof of the algorithm implementer must be improved to completely solve the problem of difficulty in providing evidence and identification by consumers. Relevant departments must strengthen coordination, refine supervision responsibilities, realize division of labor, cooperation, and mutual cooperation; improve supervision techniques and methods, and integrate supervision and governance through the entire process of innovation, production, operation, and investment.
(The author is an associate researcher at Shandong Academy of Social Sciences)