Will Smart Machines Be Less Biased Than Humans?

There is no question that, by their very nature, artificial intelligence (AI) systems are more complex than traditional software systems where the parameters were built in and largely understandable. It was relatively clear how the older rules-based expert systems made decisions. In contrast, machine learning allows AI systems to continually adjust and improve based on experience. Now different outcomes are more likely to originate from obscure changes in how variables are weighted in computer models. This has led some critics to claim that this complexity will result in systemic "algorithmic bias" that enables government and corporate abuse.