How Microsoft is opening AI's algorithmic 'black box' for greater transparency

Artificial intelligence can work wonders, but often it works in mysterious ways. Machine learning is based on the principle that a software program can analyze a huge set of data and fine-tune its algorithms to detect patterns and come up with solutions that humans may miss. That's how Google DeepMind's Alpha Go AI agent learned to play the ancient game of Go (and other games) well enough to beat expert players. But if programmers and users can't figure out how AI algorithms came up with their results, that black-box behavior can be a cause for concern. It may become impossible to judge whether AI agents have picked up unjustified biases or racial profiling from their data sets.