What Should You Do If You Don't Get Your Predicted Grades?
2020-08-14
VICE
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In 2020, UK exam boards used AI algorithms to assign A-level grades after COVID-19 cancelled exams. The system disproportionately downgraded students from state schools and less privileged backgrounds, causing widespread distress, lost university places, and financial penalties, despite warnings from experts about its unfairness and potential harm.[AI generated]
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
An AI system (the algorithm used by Ofqual) was used to adjust predicted grades, and its use directly led to harm in the form of unfair treatment and potential violation of students' rights to fair assessment. The algorithm's design, which incorporated factors like previous school performance and class size, indirectly caused harm by disadvantaging certain groups of students. This fits the definition of an AI Incident because the AI system's use led to a violation of rights and harm to communities (students disadvantaged in education outcomes).[AI generated]