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The performance of machine learning algorithms can be considerably improved when trained over larger datasets. In many domains, such as medicine and finance, larger datasets can be obtained if several parties, each having access to limited amounts of data, collaborate and share their data. However, such data sharing introduces significant privacy challenges. While multiple recent studies have investigated methods for private collaborative machine learning, the fairness of such collaborative algorithms has been overlooked. In this work, we suggest a feasible privacy-preserving pre-process mechanism for enhancing fairness of collaborative machine learning algorithms. An extensive evaluation of the proposed method shows that it is able to enhance fairness considerably with only a minor compromise in accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of decisions regarding the daily lives of human beings are being controlled by artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) algorithms in spheres ranging from healthcare, transportation, and education to college admissions, recruitment, provision of loans, and many more realms. Since they now touch on many aspects of our lives, it is crucial to develop ML algorithms that are not only accurate but also objective and fair. Recent studies have shown that algorithmic decision making may be inherently prone to unfairness, even when there is no intention for it. This article presents an overview of the main concepts of identifying, measuring, and improving algorithmic fairness when using ML algorithms, focusing primarily on classification tasks. The article begins by discussing the causes of algorithmic bias and unfairness and the common definitions and measures for fairness. Fairness-enhancing mechanisms are then reviewed and divided into pre-process, in-process, and post-process mechanisms. A comprehensive comparison of the mechanisms is then conducted, toward a better understanding of which mechanisms should be used in different scenarios. The article ends by reviewing several emerging research sub-fields of algorithmic fairness, beyond classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We study fairness of AI algorithms in Privileged Group Selection Bias data settings. • A typical domain which often presents such selection bias is AI-based hiring. • We demonstrate that such selection bias can indeed lead to a high algorithmic bias. • We propose three in-process and pre-process fairness mechanisms. • Our methods improve fairness considerably with a minimal compromise in accuracy. An increasing number of decisions regarding the daily lives of human beings are being controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. Since they now touch on many aspects of our lives, it is crucial to develop AI algorithms that are not only accurate but also objective and fair. Recent studies have shown that algorithmic decision-making may be inherently prone to unfairness, even when there is no intention for it. In this paper, we study the fairness of AI algorithms in data settings for which unprivileged groups are extremely under-represented compared to privileged groups. A typical domain which often presents such Privileged Group Selection Bias (PGSB) is AI-based hiring, which stems from an inherent lack of labeled information for rejected applicants. We first demonstrate that such a selection bias can lead to a high algorithmic bias, even if privileged and unprivileged groups are treated exactly the same. We then propose several methods to overcome this type of bias. In particular, we suggest three in-process and pre-process fairness mechanisms, combined with both supervised and semi-supervised learning algorithms. An extensive evaluation that was conducted using two real-world datasets, reveals that the proposed methods are able to improve fairness considerably, with only a minimal compromise in accuracy. This is despite the limited information available for unprivileged groups and the inherent trade-off between fairness and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]