AI Models Exhibit Covert Racism Against African American English

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Studies reveal that AI models, including ChatGPT, exhibit bias against African American English (AAE), leading to discriminatory outcomes in job assignments and legal judgments. Researchers from Stanford, University of Chicago, and Allen Institute found that AI models perpetuate racial stereotypes, raising concerns about AI's role in amplifying discrimination.[AI generated]

Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?

The article explicitly involves AI systems (LLMs) and their use in generating biased, covertly racist outputs. The harm is realized as these biased outputs can negatively affect African American English speakers, especially in sensitive applications like job screening and policing, which implicates violations of human rights and discrimination. This meets the criteria for an AI Incident because the AI's use has directly led to harm through discriminatory outputs. The study's findings confirm the presence of harm rather than just potential harm, so it is not merely a hazard or complementary information.[AI generated]
AI principles
FairnessRespect of human rightsTransparency & explainabilityAccountabilityHuman wellbeingDemocracy & human autonomyRobustness & digital securitySafety

Industries
Government, security, and defenceBusiness processes and support services

Affected stakeholders
WorkersGeneral public

Harm types
Human or fundamental rightsEconomic/PropertyPsychologicalPublic interest

Business function:
Human resource managementCompliance and justice

AI system task:
Content generationInteraction support/chatbotsOrganisation/recommendersReasoning with knowledge structures/planning


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