Prediction-Based Decisions and Fairness: Choices, Assumptions, and Definitions

A recent flurry of research activity has attempted to quantitatively define "fairness" for decisions based on statistical and machine learning (ML) predictions. In this talk, we will first explicate the various choices and assumptions made---often implicitly---to justify the use of prediction-based decisions. Next, we show how such choices and assumptions can raise concerns about fairness and we present a notationally consistent catalogue of fairness definitions from the ML literature. In doing so, we hope to start a conversation about the choices, assumptions, and fairness considerations of prediction-based decision systems.