ABSTRACT:

Recent discussion in the public sphere about classification by algorithms has involved tensions between competing notions of what it means for such a classification to be fair to different groups. We consider several of the key fairness conditions that lie at the heart of these debates, and discuss recent research establishing inherent trade-offs between these conditions. We also consider how notions of fairness interact with the complexity of classification rules, and show how the process of approximating a classifier using a simpler rule can act in conflict with fairness goals. This talk is based on joint work with Sendhil Mullainathan and Manish Raghavan.

BIO:

Jon Kleinberg is the Tisch University Professor in the Departments of Computer Science and Information Science at Cornell University. His research focuses on the interaction of algorithms and networks, and the roles they play in large-scale social and information systems. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, and the recipient of MacArthur, Packard, Simons, Sloan, and Vannevar Bush research fellowships, as well awards including the Harvey Prize, the Nevanlinna Prize, and the ACM Prize in Computing.

Hosted by Professor Yizhou Sun