Lesson 3: When Algorithms Decide

About 30 minutes — Discussion-based lesson

What You Will Learn

This lesson covers:

What an algorithm is in this context: a set of rules a computer follows to make decisions
How algorithms learn from biased historical data
Real examples: facial recognition errors, biased hiring tools, unfair loan decisions
The human responsibility: algorithms do what humans tell them to

What an algorithm is in this context: a set of rules a computer follows to make decisions

This section covers the key ideas about what an algorithm is in this context: a set of rules a computer follows to make decisions. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

How algorithms learn from biased historical data

This section covers the key ideas about how algorithms learn from biased historical data. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Real examples: facial recognition errors, biased hiring tools, unfair loan decisions

This section covers the key ideas about real examples: facial recognition errors, biased hiring tools, unfair loan decisions. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

The human responsibility: algorithms do what humans tell them to

This section covers the key ideas about the human responsibility: algorithms do what humans tell them to. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Check Your Understanding

1. How do algorithms become biased?

Answer: By learning from historical data that contains past discrimination. If historical data shows fewer women were hired for tech jobs, an algorithm might learn to prefer men — perpetuating the bias.

2. Is it the algorithm's fault?

Answer: No — algorithms do what humans design them to do. The responsibility lies with the people who choose the data, design the system, and deploy it without checking for fairness.

3. Can algorithmic bias be fixed?

Answer: Yes, but it requires awareness, testing for fairness across different groups, diverse development teams, and ongoing monitoring. It is not automatic — humans must actively work at it.

4. Why should 5th graders care about this?

Answer: Because algorithmic decisions will affect your college applications, job opportunities, and more. Understanding how they work helps you question them when they are unfair.

Key Takeaways

What an algorithm is in this context: a set of rules a computer follows to make decisions
How algorithms learn from biased historical data
Real examples: facial recognition errors, biased hiring tools, unfair loan decisions
The human responsibility: algorithms do what humans tell them to

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