Societal Biases
". . . even the most cynical cop out there would agree that prejudice on the street is a problem and you've got to try to do something."
- Adam Plantinga, San Francisco Police Sergeant
Since human beings are biologically animals ourselves, we all share the same flaw: personal and societal biases; discrimination tends to be the outcome of our implicit biases, meaning that in order to ensure everyone is treated equally by the law, it is important to move forward and promote technological innovation whenever and wherever possible. Implicit bias is present on a global scale and disproportionately affects members of minority groups, creating unreasonable obstacles for minorities to navigate through. Considering robots—and technology in general—operates without prejudice, experimenting with technology may be a better alternative than the deeply-flawed law enforcement techniques we currently use. In fact, a study of the NYPD—the New York Police Department—made some concerning discoveries in regards to law enforcement bias—and quite possibly discriminatory biases as a whole. As uncovered by independent broadcasting station, NPR, “researchers examined data about NYPD officers' actions on the job before and after the training. Specifically, they looked at a breakdown of the ethnic disparities among the people who were arrested and had other kinds of interactions with those officers. [In] those numbers, they found no meaningful change.”
An officer posing next to his car
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If extensive implicit bias training is unable to make a significant difference in terms of decreasing the likelihood of officers reacting to situations based on bias rather than on logic—then there ought to be a drastic change in the way we protect our citizens. The absence of emotionally-charged decision making on the behalf of a robot—a machine without human emotions—everyone is bound to be treated equally, regardless of sexuality, skin color, or gender. Therefore, on an ethical level, society will be a much less judgmental and abusive place for minority groups. As highlighted by San Francisco police sergeant, Adam Plantinga, ". . . even the most cynical cop out there would agree that prejudice on the street is a problem and you've got to try to do something." There are, however, some factors we must be considerate of—such as who will program this machine. In order to make a completely unbiased robot, the individuals creating it must take into account their own implicit and explicit biases. This, however complicated it might seem, might just be a realistic goal after all; the informational era is one of improved logical and ethical reasoning, and learning to incorporate that into new and innovative technology has the potential to be a catalyst for Civil Rights and create a better future for all of mankind to cherish.
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