Algorithms have been used to aid decision-making for centuries
In the last few years the growth of 'big data' and ‘machine learning’ has driven an increase in algorithmic decision-making—in finance, the legal sector, the criminal justice system, education, and healthcare, as well as recruitment decisions, giving loans or targeting adverts on social media, and there are plans for autonomous vehicles to be on public roads in the UK.
Here are some of the challenges that face a society that uses algorithms as an integral part of their function and our recommendations to the Government to manage governance of this technology for the future.
An algorithm is a set of instructions usually applied to solve a well-defined problem.
"We have witnessed an exponential growth in the use of automation to power decisions that impact our lives and societies"
Upturn and Omidyar Network
The recent Cambridge Analytica case in which algorithms caused controversy reinforces the need for effective data protection regulation.
We've also seen problems in healthcare; an estimated 450,000 women missed out on a breast cancer screening due to an algorithm error.
Our top 5 recommendations
In order to ensure that algorithms continue to aid rather than negatively impact our lives we have the following recommendations for the Government.
One
The Government should continue to make public sector datasets available, not just for 'big data' developers but also algorithm developers. The Government should lead by example by producing, publishing and maintaining a list of where algorithms with significant impacts are being used within Central Government. This will improve both transparency and private sector involvement.
Two
The Government should identify a ministerial champion to provide government-wide oversight of such algorithms, where they are used by the public sector, and to co-ordinate departments' approaches to the development and deployment of algorithms and partnerships with the private sector
Three
The Crown Commercial Service should commission a review, from the Alan Turing Institute or other expert bodies, to set out a procurement model for algorithms developed with private sector partners which fully realises the value for the public sector.
Four
The Government should immediately task the Centre for Data Ethics & Innovation to evaluate various tools to identify and tackle bias in algorithms and advise on which to prioritise and on how they should be embedded in the private sector as well as in government bodies that share their data with private sector developers.
Five
The Centre for Data Ethics & Innovation should examine how explanations for how algorithms work can be required to be of sufficient quality to allow a reasonable person to be able to challenge the 'decision' of the algorithm.
The Government has two months to respond to our report. Read our report: Algorithms in decision-making - House of Commons Science and Technology Committee.
Find out more about our inquiry on our website.
