Ethical, political and epistemic implications of machine learning (mis)information classification: insights from an interdisciplinary collaboration between social and data scientists

Autor: Andrés Domínguez Hernández, Richard Owen, Dan Saattrup Nielsen, Ryan McConville
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Responsible Innovation, Vol 10, Iss 1 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 23299460
2329-9037
2329-9460
DOI: 10.1080/23299460.2023.2222514
Popis: ABSTRACTMachine learning (ML) classification models are becoming increasingly popular for tackling the sheer volume and speed of online misinformation. In building these models data scientists need to make assumptions about the legitimacy and authoritativeness of the sources of ‘truth’ employed for model training and testing. This has political, ethical and epistemic implications which are rarely addressed in technical papers. Despite (and due to) their reported high performance, ML-driven moderation systems have the potential to shape public debate and create downstream negative impacts. This article presents findings from a responsible innovation (RI) inflected collaboration between science and technology studies scholars and data scientists. Following an interactive co-ethnographic process, we identify a series of algorithmic contingencies—key moments during ML model development which could lead to different future outcomes, uncertainties and harmful effects. We conclude by offering recommendations on how to address the potential failures of ML tools for combating online misinformation.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals