by Shalini Kantayya
A face recognition software that can barely recognise or distinguish between black people. An automated system that rejects female applicants based on gender. Is this the future? Algorithm-based technologies carry the prejudices of their mainly white, male programmers. When Jay Buolamwini, researcher at MIT, discovers this structural discrimination, she conducts in-depth research, which not only exposes the sexist and racist nature of artificial intelligence, but also reveals the threats it poses to a democratic society. This demasking documentary offers the lowdown on the background behind her shocking findings and highlights her struggle to protect civil rights, which takes her all the way to the U.S.