Tag: Bias

In recent times, text-generation-based models have become more popular than ever. With the introduction of ChatGPT and similar models, the population has been using the NLP models daily. However, the use cases for NLP models are not limited to text generation; they include sentiment analysis, key...

On the other hand, while we have plenty of work showing in practice that these models work well, the theoretical understanding of why has lagged behind. This is because these models are very broad and it comes difficult to experiment. The fact that Vision Transformers outperform convolutio...

Welcome back to Autistic Advice, a semi-regular advice column where I respond to reader questions about neurodiversity, accessibility, disability justice, and self-advocacy from my perspective as an Autistic psychologist. You can submit questions or suggest future entries in the series via my T...

If you think you don’t have any biases, think about an airline pilot. Now think about a nurse, a doctor, and a builder. See what I mean? I grew up in the sixties & seventies in working-class Britain, so I have many unconscious biases hardwired into my brain, even if I don’t ...

Four months ago I attempted to synthesize Wikipedia’s crazy list of cognitive biases, and after banging my head against the wall for weeks, came up with this Cognitive Bias Cheat Sheet which  John Manoogian III  beautifully organized into the above poster. It’s ...

Ifyou feel like your brain is always anticipating or noticing problems, know it’s not your fault: humans have a hardwired negativity bias. When we have a negative experience, it often immediately gets stored in our working memory in order to help protect us from potential future harm. ...

If we’re aiming to lead with an open mind, it’s crucial that we stay alert to the subtle ways biases and stigmas about disabilities can shape our actions — from who we bring on board to how we connect as a team daily. Since such obstacles can kill the inclusivity vibe of even the m...

Being at home is frustrating: I clean but the only thing seen is the remaining filth, I tidy up but the only thing seen is the remaining mess, I cook but the only thing mentioned is what’s missing or what went wrong, I organise but the only thing seen is the leftover chaotic part, I do groceri...

Picture of six participants of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. This image is believed to be in the public domain and is from the National Archives. However, the bias isn’t confined to the past; it permeates the present. Take, for instance, the oversight in the development of automatic han...

The tech industry is often seen as a beacon of innovation and meritocracy, but it has long been criticised for its lack of diversity and inclusion. Unconscious bias plays a significant role in perpetuating these disparities, influencing hiring decisions, mentorship opportunities, and the overall exp...

When Unconscious Bias Training is made compulsory without proper messaging or executive sponsorship, some people might feel forced to attend and become resentful. These detractors may end up clouding the entire training with their resentful attitude and push-backs. Think people with the...

In 2020 when I joined Brandwatch, with their offices in Sydney, Singapore, US and UK plus remote employees spread even further afield, one of my first assignments was to take our entire global team — starting with senior leadership — through rigorous bias and inclusion training. 350 p...

While most people who transition are happy with the outcome, a small percentage (likely in the 1 to 3 percent range; detailed below) may later choose to stop their transitions or take steps to retransition back to their birth-assigned gender. These individuals are often referred to as “detrans...

Understanding Each Other Better Consider this: your partner forgets to buy milk again. You’re irritated, thinking, “If I remembered, they should have too!” But here lies the egocentric bias — we expect others to act and remember as we do. By recognizing this bias, I learne...

We covered a lot of ground in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. Part 1 was the appetizer, where we covered some basics you’d need to know on your journey to understanding the bias-variance tradeoff. Part 2 was our hearty main course, where we devoured co...

The mean squared error (MSE) is the most popular (and vanilla) choice for a model’s loss function and it tends to be the first one you’re taught. You’ll likely take a whole bunch of stats classes before it occurs to anyone to tell you that you’re welcome t...

This is what my ex told me back when we were still dating. He was a total gym rat and has always maintained his strong and healthy physique. But as they say, looks can be deceiving. In his case, they definitely were. He may have looked like a Greek god on the outside, but he had the perso...