Leading AI Models Are Biased Against Certain Accents when Scoring Interviews, Presentations and Tests

Leading AI models are biased against certain accents when scoring interviews, presentations and tests

Artificial intelligence models replicate, and sometimes amplify, all sorts of human biases. In the last few years, University of Washington researchers have found AI has erased female characters from kids' stories, favored job applicants of certain races and genders and swayed human decisions.

Accent bias: AI models penalize certain speakers in interviews and tests, UW study finds

According to University of Washington research, across job interviews, conference presentations and English proficiency tests, AI models generally ranked American and British speakers highest, Indian speakers in the middle, and Chinese and Nigerian speakers lowest. (BigStock Image) Picture two job candidates giving the same answer to the same interview question, word for word. One has an American accent. The other has a Nigerian accent. Ask a le…