What is in the black box: The ethical implications of algorithms and transparency in the age of the GDPR

Abstract

Algorithms silently construct our lives. They can determine whether someone is hired or promoted, provide loans or housing, and decide which political advertisements and news articles consumers see. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into force on 25th May, 2018 regulates the protection of personal data of individuals within the European Union (EU) member states. While innovation is important to our society, it is also important that organisations using artificial intelligence technologies and big data comply with the GDPR to ensure our privacy and data is protected. The ethical implications and responsibility of the algorithm in these important decisions are, however, unclear. Algorithms are important participants in ethical decision making and influence the delegation of roles and responsibilities in these decisions. This paper focuses on the bias in algorithms and determines whether developers are responsible for the algorithms they use in the future, what these organisations are responsible for, and the normative basis of this responsibility. Finally, it will give recommendations that could be useful for organisations using algorithms in automated decision making.