How to move towards a fairer machine learning

In the last few decades, machine learning has become increasingly popular as a means to support decision-making. From banks and insurance companies to internet service providers, dentists and even the supermarkets where we do our weekly shopping, this technology is ever more pervasive in our lives. Its ubiquitous presence, however, is not just limited to the private realm. Public institutions have also begun using this technology to improve a multitude of processes, for example, to prevent crime, detect tax fraud and award subsidies and grants, among others. To a large extent, machine learning's success can be explained by its promise of greater coherence and the resulting perception of greater objectivity. In this sense, claims abound about how using machine learning can help us "make better decisions".