Free Republic

The miseducation of algorithms is a critical problem; when artificial intelligence mirrors unconscious thoughts, racism, and biases of the humans who generated these algorithms, it can lead to serious harm. Computer programs, for example, have wrongly flagged Black defendants as twice as likely to reoffend as someone who's white. When an AI used cost as a proxy for health needs, it falsely named Black patients as healthier than equally sick white ones, as less money was spent on them. Even AI used to write a play relied on using harmful stereotypes for casting. Removing sensitive features from the data seems...

The Issue: There is a strong movement underway to create a new North American “framework” that links the U.S., Mexico and Canada in ways that are a direct threat to the sovereignty of the United States. The centerpiece of current efforts is the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) -- a trilateral arrangement made without Congressional approval to facilitate economic, legal and political integration in this new North American “framework.” Citizen Petition Grassfire.org is conducting this Citizen Petition opposing these developments to build a North American “framework” -- including the SPP, the NAFTA superhighway and efforts to encourage open borders “migration”...

About one thing Mike Huckabee is right (OK, maybe two): The presidential hopeful told Chris Matthews that if Republicans want to win the 2008 election, they must nominate a candidate who'll appeal to as many independents and Democrats as possible. Dark horse Huckabee expressed the hope that he was the man. Wishful thinking aside, when it comes to Iraq, Huckabee and the rest of the Republican candidates for president, bar Ron Paul, are at odds with the American people. According to every conceivable poll – Gallup, Rasmussen, ABC News/Washington Post – most Americans now oppose the war in Iraq, deem...

WASHINGTON--Speaking at a rally of young undocumented immigrants who are urging Congress to allow them to attend public colleges at in-state tuition prices, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the country will "benefit enormously" by opening college classes to the children of people who entered the U.S. illegaly."We can choose either to keep these talented young people underground or we can choose to give them a chance to contribute to the United States," Hatch said at a Capitol Hill news conference Thursday to urge support of his "DREAM Act," the Development, Relief, and Education For Alien Minors Act.The Bill sponsored by...

A new spoils system for the GOP? By Paul Krugman, The New York Times Rule No. 1: Always have a cover story. The ostensible purpose of the Bush administration's plan to open up 850,000 federal jobs to private competition is to promote efficiency. Competitive vigor, we're told, will end bureaucratic sloth; costs will go down, and everyone -- except for a handful of overpaid union members -- will be better off. And who knows? Here and there the reform may actually save a few dollars. But I doubt that there's a single politician or journalist in Washington who believes that...