Can We Force AIs to Be Fair Towards People? Scientists Just Invented a Way

Artificial intelligence, it seems, can figure out how to do just about anything. It can simulate the Universe, learn to solve a Rubik's Cube with just one hand, and even find ghosts hidden in our past. All these kinds of advancements are meant to be for our own good. In recent times, algorithmic systems that already affect people's lives have demonstrated alarming levels of bias in their operation, doing things like predicting criminality along racial lines and determining credit limits based on gender. Against this backdrop, how can scientists ensure that advanced thinking systems can be fair, or even safe?