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What happened when Microsoft Azure's Vision API analyzed images of Angela Merkel and Joe Biden?

BiasPolicy & Ethics

Drawn from Lutz Finger's Forbes column, LinkedIn writing, and Cornell teaching. Sources are cited inline so you can read the originals.

AI misidentified world leaders’ genders, sparking calls for accountability.

Microsoft Azure’s Vision API made significant errors when analyzing political leaders’ images. It identified Angela Merkel as a boy and classified Joe Biden as both a man and a woman. After online mockery about Merkel’s misjudged gender, Microsoft changed their algorithm. However, this update happened without transparency about when and how the algorithm changed, illustrating a broader problem with AI systems that can be wrong and biased but operate without public accountability.

President Biden Is Man, Woman And 40 Years Old - Why We Need Algorithmic Transparency · Forbes


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