Google AI Bias, Timnit Gebru, and the Perils of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Google recently made the usual diversity, equity, and inclusion headlines, this time with the focus being on bias in artificial intelligence (AI) and the unfolding drama concerning the firing of a lead ethics researcher, Timnit Gebru.

I break this story down to the best of my ability and give my opinion on what is occurring at Google and beyond.

Also available as a podcast. Search for Just Thinking Out Loud in your favorite podcast directory.

#DEI #believeblackwomen #jtol

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[JustThinkingOutLoud]

Hello! We'll do a premiere next time! Looking forward to reading your comments!

[pamelajasper]

There is a best practice in ai ethics to have racially diverse ai engineering teams.

Everything is not race correct.
But..many things are. Esp in usa.
And because everything is not about race doesn't mean that race wasn't related to Dr Gebru or isnt front and center in ai bias.

[Kawitamamayi]

You describe a person who though accomplished is divisive, manipulative, employing distortions and has delusions of persecution.
It is useful to consider she is manifesting a personality disorder. A forensic psychological evaluation is useful to resolve that issue.

[dachers]

Very interesting and something I feel like nobody is talking about. Thank you for covering this.

[s.a.vanvleck]

Truly fresh and authentic conversations here ... let's how long the Fascist censors at Google tolerate this.

[Fibonacci]

I appreciate your deep analysis. Very real, down to earth, and "relatively unbiased" and open-minded. Thank you

[Harbringe]

When it comes to this type of diversity, it really comes down to choice. Trying to argue that there is not enough female Alaska crab fishermen (one of worlds most dangerous profession) is going to do nothing if women do not choose that job, but it can be a perpetual raison etre of complaint for these activist types. This goes for everything in society when dealing with these activist types.

What Timnit Gebru does not seem to understand is that in her field she is an exception to the choices that people from her background usually make... hell in truth she is an exception to the choices people in general make.... not many people at all go down the life path she has chosen.

[jamesroeber]

D, excellent piece, really spot on, one of your best and cuts to the universality of our base self interest, that is a unversal aspect of human nature to get what we want, whether thats ideologically or power or money. This is about the Dr demanding agreement, like a child. Hope you are having a great weekend and I look forward to more output, j

[trondsi]

I think Google is hitting the "reality wall". For instance, you can dream about having 50-50 gender balance among engineers, you can hire people who are supposed to make this happen, but it smashes against the reality of different preferences in men and women. Acerbating the problem is that they can't talk about these real differences (Damore was fired for it) so what ensues is a lot of finger-pointing, arguments, and people getting sacked.

[ProperZen]

You are so good an understanding multiple interests and drives going on here. It’s even more amazing given your age.

Yes, she clearly sees the world from an Post-modern, Intersectionality perspective which reduces all interactions and institutions into a quest for maintaining power of white, cis makes.

So to her, being told “no” by a largely male, white company is affirmation of her voice (and therefore existence) being marganalized by a privileged group (any non-black group).

This prevents her from ever being told “no” without her seeing this as continual marginalization.

As for Google, the bottom line is always going to be profit. They also want to hire the best new talent. And to do that, they need to generate positive PR on their diversity initiatives- which are important to many new grades.

And there is Google’s ongoing concern that that the progressive Democrats are looking to pass laws to enforce hires by skin diversity.

But I find myself simply repeating all the points you raised.

Anyway, I greatly appreciate your prospective.

[meofamily]

Actually, the position Timing Gebru assumed within Google is already problematic; to the extent that this social-justice warrior continued to present her agenda within Google, she would have to be terminated. Employees -- she made this quite clear -- ought to be hired on the basis of racial quotas.
On the other hand, if Gebru accepted the rôle you suggest, that of an employee willing to compromise and someone guided by the overall benefit of the corporation of which she is a member, to that extent she would have had to expect people to be hired on merit. That is, she would have had to surrender the crusade in which she is deeply involved.

[prybarknives]

The mistake here is the common and ridiculous trope, that all models or organizations should mirror the diversity of the population (local? National? Global?...). When there is no logical reason why this should be, and myriad reasons why it is not only unnecessary but generally counterproductive.

[zaccoopah]

Love your voice ... keep up the good work!

[newbiegain]

Upload shorter chunks. So it’s easier for us to share it to other people.

[skepto-o-punk]

When you speak you completely come across as sane and centered. Inevitably when I read or view those who are swimming in CRT ideology they are incapable of looking at themselves as the problem, or at least contributing to a problem and they see everything occurring outside of themselves and they are ALWAYS the victim. They always come across as unstable and neurotic. You might ask the obvious chicken/egg question. Does this ideology make people neurotic, or are neurotic people attracted to this ideology. The answer is a resounding: Yes! As Greg Lukianoff of FIRE explains it, this ideology causes people to fall into the many traps of neurosis -- catastrophizing, all-or-none or black-and-white thinking, externalizing, etc. -- and it specifically prevents them from using tools developed to deal with problems in healthy ways.

[qingsongyao]

I agree most of your points, and you really nailed the root issue of this event.

[blurryface]

Never mix your activism with your day job unless activism is you r day job.

[maryannerazzo]

I see you as a beautiful human being!!

[demetriusmiddleton]

Yes - your male voice impersonation was definitely a microagression

[mellocat]

When people express their grievances to social media instead of going to the source of their issue, it really doesn't seem as though they want a solution as much as they want to be told that they are right. If you issue an ultimatum you shouldn't be surprised when people take you up on it. 🤔JMO