Are Machine Learning Search Algorithms To Blame For Stereotypes?

Do machine-learning algorithms processing search engine queries bring on prejudice, discrimination and stereotyping in query results? The paper submitted to the International Conference on Social Informatics scheduled for publication analyzes how Google and Bing represent female beauty in their image search results, particularly when it comes to different age and racial groups. For nearly every country analyzed, white women appear more in the "beautiful" results, and black and Asian women appear in the "ugly" ones, per The Washington Post, which initially pointed to the study. Searches for "ugly" women return images of those about 60% white and 20% black between the ages of 30 to 50.