How to Stop Robots From Becoming Racist

In the 1940s, sociologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark placed white and Black dolls in front of young children and asked them to do things like pick the doll that "looks bad" or "is a nice color." The doll test was invented to better understand the evil consequences of separate and unequal treatment on the self-esteem of Black children in the United States. Lawyers from the NAACP used the results to successfully argue in favor of the desegregation of US schools. Now AI researchers say robots may need to undergo similar tests to ensure they treat all people fairly. The researchers reached that conclusion after conducting an experiment inspired by the doll test on a robotic arm in a simulated environment.