There Is A Diversity Issue In Computing

No matter how many women and people of color are invited, the culture of exclusion in computing may never shift

After injuring her ankle, Amy Webb was forced to walk in a walking boot. She was no longer allowed to get past the metal detector in the TSA PreCheck lines at airports, which was one of the inconveniences that resulted from that one. She was forced to use the backscatter apparatus, which produces X-ray images of the people.

The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity author Webb, a professor at New York University, took advantage of the inconvenience to get a firsthand look at how the technology, which uses computational techniques to highlight potential threats on the body, operates. She remembers the image from the scan, saying, "I was staring at the screen, and my cast, head, and breasts were gigantic blocks of yellow." While she waited for her turn, she saw a few other ladies being patted down. Bright blocks covering their breasts are the same thing.

She subsequently discovered that it was caused by underwire bras, which the system sometimes mistaken for potential weapons. Her thick, wavy mop of hair has sometimes thrown the equipment off, among other problems she's faced with it. (My curly-haired coworker Hannah Giorgis verifies that she also has a cranial pat-down at the airport.)

One of the less dangerous side effects of computer systems that don't take into consideration all potential users is what Webb experienced. For instance, computers are now starting to impose prison terms.

Should we be worried about artificial intelligence in the criminal justice system? asks Derek Thompson.

Because "someone like me wasn't in the room" when the system was created, trained on images of human forms, or tested before going live, Webb blames it for her unpleasant airport experience. That idea is similar to one that has been put up to solve the problem of computers not comprehending different sorts of people: by increasing the diversity of representation among those who design these systems, we may make them more useful to the general population.

However, that is wishful thinking. Even while there is more diversity in the IT industry, it is still far from ideal. Latinos, women, and African-Americans are all underrepresented. As a consequence, although vital, variety in computer systems is not a sufficient solution to the problem of social justice.

For years, businesses and scholars in the computer sector have referred to diversity as a "pipeline" problem. When someone has the right educational background, they may get the right training, which enables them to enroll in the right school, which links them to top positions. According to the hypothesis, creating the workforce that Webb and others are calling for will arise from improving the flow of talent into this system.

One of them is the Constellations Center for Equity in Computer at Georgia Tech, where I have teaching positions in the liberal arts and computing colleges. The center's goal is to provide access to computer science education for women and people of minorities. It has provided funding and support for computer science programs in Atlanta public schools, especially in areas with a high concentration of black residents where such opportunities were previously unavailable.

Those efforts deserve praise. Their impact could be minimal, however, given the size and makeup of the IT sector. For instance, at Google, the majority of technical staff members are either Caucasian or Asian. Without a sure, adding more black engineers from Atlanta-area universities to the mix will help gradually increase the numbers. Additionally, it will make it possible for more people of color to take advantage of the economic opportunities offered by the IT sector. However, there is a tokenization danger; adding a black man or a woman with curly hair may change how the algorithms that built Webb's airport security experience were designed. It is unlikely to materially affect the way the IT business is going right now, however.

Webb, who would like to see more diversity among computer workers, blames the current state of things, at least in part, on training programs like those Constellations is implementing. We've got this obsession with STEM education, she said during a panel discussion yesterday at the Aspen Ideas Festival, which was co-hosted by the Aspen Institute and The Atlantic. "As demonstrated by these schemes mandating every youngster to learn to code, it's reached a fever pitch." The desire to expand the number of computer experts in order to promote diversity worries Webb because it can create more problems than it fixes. If everyone is focused on the details of developing software quickly and at scale, where will students learn to design software equally and carefully? Critical thinking won't be something that computers can accomplish, she said.

China is an option, according to Webb. This year, kindergarten students throughout the nation will start studying a textbook designed to impart the modern intellectual foundations necessary for success in a computational future. They will be able to work with AI systems if they think in that way, she added. "While everyone is focused on 'Every kid must code,' we run the danger of forgetting that every child must learn to read and write."

Charles Isbell, the executive director of Constellations and the incoming dean of computing at Georgia Tech, believes that computer education is still an essential first step. He said, "The underlying issue is whether we are interested in integration or variation." The behavior of the industry as a whole would change as a consequence of the engagement of women, people of color, and other marginalized voices. Diversity is just membership, according to Isbell. Influence, power, and cooperation are all components of integration.

Contrarily, integration is far more challenging than diversity. Isbell contends that two requirements must be fulfilled in order for this to happen: "One is that the new individuals be both competent and confident." The willingness of the elderly is another aspect.

The global head for diversity research and strategy at Google and a senior director at Constellations, Kamau Bobb, isn't sure the tech industry is quite ready yet. Many people in Silicon Valley are involved in diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives, and "those folks are sincerely engaged," according to Bobb. However, one of its main drivers is offering access to the present state of affairs. They are certain that more people shouldn't have access to the Google life, which includes free food, energy, and money, according to Bobb. They don't necessarily want to change the game's rules; instead, they want to get more people involved. According to this perspective, inclusion is primarily an issue of economic equality, with any social or moral benefits being added on as a bonus.