Illustration by Maqué Studio
Artificial Intelligence is increasingly used in a variety of aspects of our everyday lives. Equinet and Equality Bodies are at the forefront of investigating the apparent neutrality of algorithms, tackling AI-enabled discrimination and ensuring an equality-compliant use of Artificial Intelligence.
Breeze is a relatively new dating app that uses an algorithm to find the right match for its users and arrange face-to-face dates. The app developers contacted the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights because they were concerned about the potential bias in the self-learning algorithm, which works with the personal preferences of the users, among other things. It seemed that individuals with darker skin tones had fewer possibilities to find a match.
The Institute was tasked with deliberating on several key legal aspects, including the necessity of bias correction, the use of personal data for such adjustments in accordance with the law, and compliance with affirmative action principles. A ruling on these critical matters was issued by the Institute, and developers are taking action to prevent discrimination against users with darker skin colour.