Tech companies just woke up to a big problem with their AI

Tech companies are beginning to accept that the artificial intelligence they're building their futures on could be flawed. From studies showing that language-processing AI can be sexist to more recent research on facial recognition's failures on darker skin tones, years of research have erupted into a flurry of actions from Microsoft, IBM, Google, Mozilla, Accenture, and even Congress. It's difficult to pin a reason on "why now?" Or maybe it's how big tech companies are suddenly seen as complicit in invasive national security projects with the US Department of Defense or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, contributing to the perception of a creeping police state. Or maybe the world is just becoming more tech-literate and conscious.