Friend,

While there's a tendency to think of artificial intelligence as neutral, the reality is that racism, sexism, antisemitism and other forms of hate can all be adopted by the machines we create — because humans replicate their own biases in the data and the code.

The new documentary Coded Bias sheds light on the threats that artificial intelligence and facial-recognition tech pose to civil rights and democracy. We’ve partnered with Consumer Reports to offer you a free screening of Coded Bias: Sign up using our link and you’ll have until Dec. 14 to watch the documentary.

In solidarity,

Lucia

Friend,

Science fiction has long taught us to fear a robot takeover of our world. From Terminator to The Matrix, sci-fi has shown us the possibility of artificial intelligence turning against its creators.

The reality is less exciting but just as bleak. Instead of robots rising up and attempting to rid the world of humans, we’ve made machines that look and act a lot like us. We’ve created artificial intelligence encoded with all of the same biases that exist within humankind. Racism, sexism, antisemitism and other forms of hate can all be adopted by the machines we create — because humans replicate their own biases in the data and the code.

We’ve partnered with Consumer Reports to offer you a free screening of Coded Bias, an eye-opening film that sheds light on the threats that artificial intelligence poses to civil rights and democracy. Sign up using our link and you’ll have until Dec. 14 to watch the documentary.

Coded Bias exposes the widespread use of facial-recognition technology and the built-in biases in this tech that negatively impact women and people of color. While experts have long warned about the problems with facial recognition and artificial intelligence, both technologies are used to police and surveil communities — and are even used in many companies’ human-resource departments.

The continued use of biased technology poses a threat to our civil rights and civil liberties. And yet most people aren’t aware of the many ways in which this tech is making decisions about our lives and our access to justice and opportunity. Sign up for a free at-home screening of Coded Bias so you can learn more and be part of a grassroots coalition committed to protecting our civil rights.

Thanks for all you do,

Lucia and the rest of the Free Press team
freepress.net

P.S. Why does facial-recognition technology fail to accurately identify dark-skinned faces? Join us for a free screening of #CodedBias to learn how tech is subject to embedded racism and join the push for change.