论文标题
在机器学习中找到差异
Locating disparities in machine learning
论文作者
论文摘要
机器学习可以提供不同的结果,其中人群的亚组(例如,由年龄,性别或其他敏感属性定义)在系统上处于不利地位。为了遵守即将到来的立法,从业人员需要找到这种不同的结果。但是,以前的文献通常通过统计程序检测差异,以确定敏感属性的何时。这限制了数据集具有高维度的实际设置中的适用性,最重要的是,敏感属性可能未知。作为一种补救措施,我们提出了一个名为“自动差异位置”(ALD)的数据驱动框架,旨在在机器学习中找到差异。 ALD符合行业的几种要求:ALD(1)适用于任意机器学习分类器; (2)操作不同的差异定义(例如统计奇偶校验或均衡的赔率); (3)即使差异是由称为相交性的复杂和多路相互作用引起的(例如,年龄高于60岁和女性),也涉及分类和连续的预测指标。 ALD会产生可解释的审计报告作为输出。我们基于合成和现实世界数据集证明了ALD的有效性。结果,我们使从业者有效地定位和减轻机器学习算法的差异,进行算法审核并保护个人免受歧视。
Machine learning can provide predictions with disparate outcomes, in which subgroups of the population (e.g., defined by age, gender, or other sensitive attributes) are systematically disadvantaged. In order to comply with upcoming legislation, practitioners need to locate such disparate outcomes. However, previous literature typically detects disparities through statistical procedures for when the sensitive attribute is specified a priori. This limits applicability in real-world settings where datasets are high dimensional and, on top of that, sensitive attributes may be unknown. As a remedy, we propose a data-driven framework called Automatic Location of Disparities (ALD) which aims at locating disparities in machine learning. ALD meets several demands from industry: ALD (1) is applicable to arbitrary machine learning classifiers; (2) operates on different definitions of disparities (e.g., statistical parity or equalized odds); and (3) deals with both categorical and continuous predictors even if disparities arise from complex and multi-way interactions known as intersectionality (e. g., age above 60 and female). ALD produces interpretable audit reports as output. We demonstrate the effectiveness of ALD based on both synthetic and real-world datasets. As a result, we empower practitioners to effectively locate and mitigate disparities in machine learning algorithms, conduct algorithmic audits, and protect individuals from discrimination.