2020 Directed by Shalini Kantayya
Exploring the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini's startling discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all.
7th Empire Media Independent Lens ITVS JustFilms / Ford Foundation Chicken & Egg Pictures Women Make Movies The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Production Grant Sundance Institute
Digitalizovaný předsudek
Another “Tech is EEEEVIL” Netflix doc I found thanks to Netflix’s algorithm.
But seriously, it was an eye-opening doc and a fresh way of looking at the dangers of AI and algorithms not only because of their flaws, but because of how those behind the tech have leaned towards a particular group thereby putting the rest at risk. The case of Amazon’s system which automatically rejects job applications submitted by women, or how the UK’s government system as a whole has been responsible for not only people leaking privacy, but making police wrongfully charge individuals on the streets.
All in all, the documentary falls prey to the same shortcomings of every Netflix documentary series since it lacks content and ends up feeling a bit redundant. But this is still a watch I'd recommend.
TODAY SCHEDULE
Coded Bias
Chris Rock Total Blackout: The Tamborine Extended Cut
Mulberry St.
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Coded Bias is an amazing and important documentary about the legalities and ethical implications of facial recognition technology. The dangers of it include invasion of privacy and racial bias.
Vegan alert:
Reference to chips being planted in animals
Coded Bias might be the most timely and relevant film I see at MIFF2020 but I found the execution hamfisted and uncinematic. Makes sweeping generalisations with little evidence to back it up and it's moments of visual invention are cringeworthy (the female HAL riff is especially awful). Charismatic interview subjects, especially Buolamwini, but they deserve better than this film. I think my big problem is it eventually becomes about more than bias in software and algorithms (which is incredibly interesting, the Samantha Bee segment on it was really thought-provoking), becoming more about surveillance. The two topics are connected but the two are vastly different so the film ends up shortchanging both.
As society moves forward, there's a concentrated effort to put stalls on that progress, like an anchor holding down a ship. The current assault on voting rotes in the US from people who know their ways of thinking are as old as they are, know that by manipulating the system they can milk a little more life out of antiquated ideas.
A very scary form of this system-rigging regress is in our technology. A documentary by Shalini Kantayya inspired by PHD student Joy Buolamwini, Coded Bias shows how our face-recognition technology, written by white men heavily favors white men. Anywhere from employment possibilities to giving police due process to grab someone off the street for questioning, it works as a form of discrimination and gate-keeping simultaneously, and especially a way to halt progress.
A very distressing doc at times, but with a hopeful ending.
This is a good documentary and you should all watch it Bc it’s important but I’m also just going to take this opportunity to let you guys know that I am banned from posting on TikTok for a few days because I posted a video with gibby shirtless is it
☆"When I put on the white mask: detected. When I take off the white mask: not so much."☆
Film Independent screener.
Most believe that traits like racism and discrimination aren't inherited. They're taught, groomed, or developed from poisonous environments. They seep into our psyches subconsciously but only after years of being crafted from the media. They're products of family education and misguided perceptions of early life. Though what about technology or artificial intelligence? That's objective, fact-based, or -- pardon the pun -- black and white.
But what about the creators of those algorithms? They're human, and subject to the same influences as anyone else, and from this fact comes their underlying behaviors and feelings, embedded within the background of these…
And everyone thought I was crazy for not wanting facial recognition turned on my phone.
It’s an informative and compelling (if not very visually interesting) doc.
I love me some documentaries. The older I get, the more I want to take in. Netflix has been streaming, or outright producing, quality docs fairly consistently for years. Now, they’re back with another in Coded Bias. And while I feel it has its heart in the right place, the execution of the narrative comes off muddled.
The main issue with this doc is the consistency within the messaging. Sometimes this doc is about facial recognition software gone wrong. Sometimes it’s about algorithms that evaluate our behaviors and track our activity. Other times it’s about government profiling and violating personal privacy. Sometimes it’s about the inevitable future of increased automation in the workforce. Or the rating of a human workforce…
here’s me thinking i’m the peak of social justice after deleting another social media because of scary ai documentaries while continuing to shop online😌
this was a very informative documentary about the pitfalls and dangers of facial recognition technology. i’ve been wanting to watch this ever since it first came out, and i’m glad i decided to today. i definitely would recommend this film
