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Articles

11-09-2023 The Conversation

For the marginalised, biased AI algorithms can damage almost every part of life


AI data is polluted by a set of myths from the age of “enlightenment”, including biases that lead to discrimination based on gender and sexual identity.
• Bad data does not only produce bad outcomes. It can also help to suppress sections of society, for instance vulnerable women and minorities.
• Algorithms generally need to be exposed to data often taken from the internet in order to improve at whatever they do, such as screening job applications, or underwriting mortgages.
• But the training data often contains many of the biases that exist in the real world.
Bad data does not only produce bad outcomes. It can also help to suppress sections of society, for instance vulnerable women and minorities.
This is the argument of my new book on the relationship between various forms of racism and sexism and artificial intelligence (AI).
The problem is acute. Algorithms generally need to be exposed to data often taken from the internet in order to improve at whatever they do, such as screening job applications, or underwriting mortgages.
But the training data often contains many of the biases that exist in the real world. For example, algorithms could learn that most people in a particular job role are male and therefore favour men in job applications.
Our data is polluted by a set of myths from the age of “enlightenment”, including biases that lead to discrimination based on gender and sexual identity.
Judging from the history in societies where racism has played a role in establishing the social and political order, extending privileges to white males in Europe, North America and Australia, for instance is simple science to assume that residues of racist discrimination feed into our technology.
In my research for the book, I have documented some prominent examples. Face recognition software more commonly misidentified black and Asian minorities, leading to false arrests in the US and elsewhere.
How AI is filtering millions of qualified candidates out of the workforce
Software used in the criminal justice system has predicted that black offenders would have higher recidivism rates than they did. There have been false healthcare decisions.
A study found that of the black and white patients assigned the same health risk score by an algorithm used in US health management, the black patients were often sicker than their white counterparts.
This reduced the number of black patients identified for extra care by more than half.
Because less money was spent on black patients who have the same level of need as white ones, the algorithm falsely concluded that black patients were healthier than equally sick white patients.
Denial of mortgages for minority populations is facilitated by biased data sets. The list goes on.
Machines don’t lie?
Such oppressive algorithms intrude on almost every area of our lives. AI is making matters worse, as it is sold to us as essentially unbiased.
We are told that machines don’t lie. Therefore, the logic goes, no one is to blame.
This pseudo-objectiveness is central to the AI-hype created by the Silicon Valley tech giants.
It is easily discernible from the speeches of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, even if now and then they warn us about the projects that they themselves are responsible for.
There are various unaddressed legal and ethical issues at stake.
Who is accountable for the mistakes? Could someone claim compensation for an algorithm denying them parole based on their ethnic background in the same way that one might for a toaster that exploded in a kitchen?
The opaque nature of AI technology poses serious challenges to legal systems which have been built around individual or human accountability.
On a more fundamental level, basic human rights are threatened, as legal accountability is blurred by the maze of technology placed between perpetrators and the various forms of discrimination that can be conveniently blamed on the machine.
Racism has always been a systematic strategy to order society. It builds, legitimises and enforces hierarchies between the haves and have nots.
Ethical and legal vacuum
In such a world, where it’s difficult to disentangle truth and reality from untruth, our privacy needs to be legally protected.
The right to privacy and the concomitant ownership of our virtual and real-life data needs to be codified as a human right, not least in order to harvest the real opportunities that good AI harbours for human security.
But as it stands, the innovators are far ahead of us. Technology has outpaced legislation.
The ethical and legal vacuum thus created is readily exploited by criminals, as this brave new AI world is largely anarchic.
Blindfolded by the mistakes of the past, we have entered a wild west without any sheriffs to police the violence of the digital world that’s enveloping our everyday lives.
The tragedies are already happening on a daily basis.
It is time to counter the ethical, political and social costs with a concerted social movement in support of legislation. The first step is to educate ourselves about what is happening right now, as our lives will never be the same.
It is our responsibility to plan the course of action for this new AI future. Only in this way can a good use of AI be codified in local, national and global institutions



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27. Aug. 2024 Sowetan Live

Court rules in favour of traditional wife and nullifies civil marriage

Hilda Sedinjane turned to the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane for an order that she be recognised as the true wife of deceased Seabela Malatji. The parties concluded a customary marriage in 1988 as evidenced by a lobola certificate and four children were born of the marriage. V.5574

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26. Aug. 2024 Cape Times

Outdated systems expose Home Affairs

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber on Tuesday said his department should urgently embrace technology, or South Africas national security would be under threat. Schreiber said the problems in the issuance of fraudulent visas pointed the department towards a solution that lay in embracing digital transformation in all its facets and across the department. V.5571

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26. Aug. 2024 Polity

Home Affairs committee wants inspectorate unit strengthened to track foreign nationals

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs pointed out that while the deportation of 95 Libyan nationals has been effected, the need to strengthen the inspectorate unit of the department is necessary and called for an enhanced monitoring tool to track foreign nationals in the country. Earlier this week, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) concluded its preparations to deport the 95 Libyan nationals, after they were arrested in White River, Mpumalanga, last month. V.5572

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23. Aug. 2024 Sowetan Live

Two more people caught over IDs-for-sale scam

Duo`s arrests follow that of home affairs office cleaner Office cleaner Rhandzu Chauke with family and lawyer outside the Pretoria magistrates court, this after appearing on the charge of theft of home affairs stamp. The arrest of two undocumented Mozambican nationals in connection with the selling of fake IDs has lifted a lid on an alleged documents-for-cash scheme believed to be happening at the home affairs office in Centurion. V.5562

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23. Aug. 2024 TIMES TRAVEL

How to apply for Greece tourist visa: A step-by-step guide

Synopsis Travelers planning to visit Greece need a Schengen visa. The process includes scheduling an appointment, filling out an application form, submitting required documents, attending an interview, and waiting for processing. Greece is a gorgeous European nation noted for its iconic island destinations such as Santorini and Mykonos, among others. Those planning a trip to Greece, applying for a tourist visa is a must. Because Greece is a European nation, youll need to apply for a Schenegen visa. However its an easy process if you are aware of all the necessary steps carefully. V.5564

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23. Aug. 2024 Daad

Austria Job Seeker VISA With Family VISA Application Process

Ever dreamt of swapping your daily grind for a life filled with stunning mountain views, world-class music, and enough pastries to make your heart sing? Well, Austria is ready to roll out the red carpet for you! One of the key pathways to entering Austria as a skilled worker is through the Austrian Job Seeker Visa (Category D). V.5566

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23. Aug. 2024 Daily Maverick

Deadly Marabastad stampede sheds light on struggles of undocumented migrants in SA

Police are investigating a stampede that took place at the Home Affairs offices in Marabastad in Pretoria in which one person died and 20 more were injured. The story of Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina and how she became a contestant in the Miss South Africa pageant has cast notions of nationality and access to documentation for foreign nationals living in South Africa into the spotlight. V.5568

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23. Aug. 2024 DW

New Zealand: Emigration soars amid economic woes

New Zealand`s population of 5.3 million grew by just 0.1% (7,000) in the second quarter of 2024 as the number of those leaving the country reached well over 100,000 in the first half of the year, official statistics showed on Monday. The practical stagnation in population growth comes despite record numbers of arrivals in recent years driven largely by the island nation`s reputation for high living and working standards and as a haven of security in an increasingly troubled world. V.5569

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23. Aug. 2024 DW

New Zealand: Emigration soars amid economic woes

New Zealand`s population of 5.3 million grew by just 0.1% (7,000) in the second quarter of 2024 as the number of those leaving the country reached well over 100,000 in the first half of the year, official statistics showed on Monday. The practical stagnation in population growth comes despite record numbers of arrivals in recent years driven largely by the island nation`s reputation for high living and working standards and as a haven of security in an increasingly troubled world. V.5570

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21. Aug. 2024 IOL

Visa backlog: Portfolio committee welcomes overtime approval for Home Affairs officials

The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration has welcomed the approval of overtime for Home Affairs officials to reduce the visa backlog. This comes after Minister of Public Service and Administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi and his department granted the overtime request from Homes Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber for the next three months to meet target and reduce the backlog. V.5560

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20. Aug. 2024 News 24

While Schreiber wants to bring dignity to Home Affairs, xenophobia rears its head in budget debate

Several parties represented in Parliament blamed undocumented migrants for crime and draining social services during the debate on the Department of Home Affairs` budget. Claims undocumented migrants are disproportionately responsible for crime or are depleting South African taxes without contributing, have previously been debunked. New Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said he wanted to bring dignity back to the department`s work. V.5555

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20. Aug. 2024 Groundup

Judge slams law firm for misleading court with `cut-and-paste` applications targeting refugees

Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo has slammed a firm of attorneys and an advocate for `cut-and-paste` work in cases involving refugees. He ordered them to pay out of their own pockets for costs awarded in these cases. Manamela MA Attorneys was running a `cottage industry`, preying on vulnerable refugees, Mlambo said. A firm of attorneys and an advocate have been ordered to pay the costs, from their own pockets, of six `cut-and-paste` applications involving refugees seeking asylum, GroundUp reports. V.5556

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20. Aug. 2024 My Broadband

How to get your new Smart ID at a bank

South Africans looking to upgrade their green ID booklet to a smart ID card can book an appointment to do so using the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) eHomeAffairs platform. Moreover, the system allows applicants to book appointments at DHA-supported bank branches across the country, meaning they never have to step foot in a Home Affairs office or face the associated queues. V.5557

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20. Aug. 2024 SowetanLive

How stolen home affairs stamp led to cleaner`s bust

A year and four months after a stamp used to authenticate documents was stolen at a home affairs office, a 24-year-old man presented a birth certificate bearing the same stamp to apply for an ID. The certificate, however, was found to be fake and was produced four months after the stamp was stolen. V.5559

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19. Aug. 2024 SABC 3

Spaza shop owners cry foul regarding Gauteng government funding

Local entrepreneurs and spaza shop owners have lashed out at the Gauteng Department of Economic Development for failing to deliver on their promises which were part of the R100 million Kasi Mnotho Fund. The fund was aimed at offering strategic loans and empowering businesses to secure trading stock, equipment, machinery and working capital. This initiative was promised to business owners in an attempt to foster entrepreneurship and propel economic growth in Gautengs townships. V.5552

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19. Aug. 2024 IOL

Identity fraud rockets in SA

Identity fraud is on the increase in South Africa, with the latest fraud statistics recording a 400% surge in impersonation fraud from April 2023 to April 2024. Fraud statistics from the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) have also revealed that impersonation fraud increased by a staggering 356% from April 2022 to April 2023. V.5553

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16. Aug. 2024 EWN (EYEWITNESS NEWS )

Father unable to register his son because he is not the mother

For the past eight years, Mqokeleli Sigwintshi has been trying to get a birth certificate from the Department of Home Affairs for his son, who is now nine years old. Sigwintshi said in 2015, his wife, with whom he had a traditional marriage, gave birth to their son at the Willowvale Health Centre. A year later, his wife visited her family in Mthatha. V.5550

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14. Aug. 2024 Reuters

People leave New Zealand in record numbers as economy bites

People are leaving New Zealand in record numbers as unemployment rises, interest rates remain high and economic growth is anaemic, government statistics show. Data released by Statistics New Zealand on Tuesday showed that 131 200 people departed New Zealand in the year ended June 2024, provisionally the highest on record for an annual period. Around a third of these were headed to Australia. While net migration, the number of those arriving minus those leaving, remains at high levels, economists also expect this to wane as the number of foreign nationals wanting to move to New Zealand falls due to the softer economy. The data showed of those departing 80 174 were citizens, which was almost double the numbers seen leaving prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. V.5548

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14. Aug. 2024 SABC3

De Lille calls for concerted efforts for tourism to grow SA economy

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has called for concerted efforts to ensure that the potential of the tourism sector to grow the economy is realised. The sector is one of the apex contributors to the economy. The country is seeking to attract 15 million tourists to South Africa by 2030 as the National Development Plan envisages. V.5549

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13. Aug. 2024 Zimoja News

Driven by a desire for a luxurious lifestyle

A Congolese national was sentenced to 12 years for corruption and other crimes. CRIMINAL SYNDICATES Congolese national Tiny Mtumba (36) was sentenced to 12 years and 3 months imprisonment for fraud, theft, and contravention of the Immigration Act by the Palm Ridge Commercial Court in the East Rand in Gauteng on Thursday. V.5547

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27. Aug. 2024 Sowetan Live

Court rules in favour of traditional wife and nullifies civil marriage

Hilda Sedinjane turned to the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane for an order that she be recognised as the true wife of deceased Seabela Malatji. The parties concluded a customary marriage in 1988 as evidenced by a lobola certificate and four children were born of the marriage. V.5574

Click here for full article

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