97 Things About Ethics Everyone in Data Science Should Know

Chapter 81. Algorithmic Impact Assessments

Randy Guse

Director Optum Enterprise Analytics, United Health Group

Automated decision systems are being used in every industry. The systems vary in transparency and effectiveness, oftentimes resulting in unintended consequences. An Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) can surface issues with the solution functionality and provide the opportunity to undertake corrective actions before serious harm is inflicted.

The AI Now Institute has multiple publications to address the potential ethical issues and biases within analytic algorithms and automated decision systems. One of its reports, Algorithmic Impact Assessments: A Practical Framework for Public Agency Accountability, establishes protocols for evaluating adverse effects of automated decision systems.¹

While the report is written for government agencies, industry should be held to the same standards. The key elements of the AIA are:

• Agencies should conduct a self-assessment of existing and proposed automated decision systems, evaluating potential impacts on fairness, justice, bias, or other concerns across affected communities.

• Agencies should develop meaningful external researcher review processes to discover, measure, or track impacts over time.

• Agencies should provide notice to the public disclosing their definition of “automated decision system,” existing and proposed systems, and ...