Good morning, Broadsheet readers! More than three-fourths of women aged 40 to 64 report no menopause accommodations at work, the Republican Party’s new policy platform omits nationwide abortion ban, and the new book Mastering AI explains how the technology can reinforce racial and gender bias. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
– All about AI. If you are eager to understand the technology driving business today—AI—look no further than my colleague Jeremy Kahn’s new book. Published this week, Mastering AI: A survival guide to our superpowered future is both a resource for those seeking to better understand the transformational technology and a guide to where AI is headed over the next decade-plus.
In a new excerpt from his book published by Fortune, Jeremy dives into one of AI’s most pernicious challenges: bias. “By influencing how we think about what we do, buy, and say…technology is chipping away at our ability to freely make our own decisions,” he writes. “Personalized AI assistants will make these problems worse, wrapping us in the ultimate filter bubble, controlling the innumerable decisions that make up our lives.”
From political echo chambers to conspiracy theories, the consequences are vast. Of course, they also extend to racial and gender bias. As Jeremy explains: “Using an AI assistant with a particular hidden viewpoint to help write an essay for or against a particular position subtly shifted the user’s own views on that topic in the direction of the bias…Trained from vast amounts of historical data, many LLMs harbor hidden racial or gender biases that could subtly shape their users’ opinions—for instance, an AI assistant for doctors that falsely believes that Black people have thicker skin or a higher pain threshold than white people.”
The solution is to “mandate that tech companies reveal far more about how their AI models have been trained and allow independent auditing and testing,” he argues. For more, read the full excerpt on Fortune’s site and order Mastering AI here.
Emma Hinchliffe
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The Broadsheet is Fortune’s newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Today’s edition was curated by Joseph Abrams. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Care necessities. More than three-fourths of women aged 40 to 64 said they receive no menopause-related workplace accommodations, according to results from the fourth-annual State of Menopause report. Published on Monday by women’s health care company Bonafide, the report also found that around three-fourths of women under 50 said their job performance suffered because of menopause. Fortune
- Disappearing act. A new policy platform published by the Republican Party this week is the first in 40 years to not include a nationwide ban on abortion. The document instead declared support for birth control and in vitro fertilization but drew the line at “late term abortion.” The Guardian
- Disappointing performance. Data from financial services platform Morningstar indicates that funds investing in companies with gender equality initiatives have underperformed relative to benchmarks. Only one such fund has launched this year, compared to three that have closed. Financial Times
- Order for arrest. A spokesperson for Yulia Navalnaya announced on Tuesday that a Moscow court has ordered her arrest in absentia. Navalnaya is the wife of late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny and is accused of “participation in an extremist organization.” CNN
- Investigation on the market. The FBI is investigating multiple allegations of sexual assault lodged against the Alexander brothers, three of the most prominent fixtures of the luxury real estate industry. The brothers deny the accusations, which were first revealed in civil lawsuits filed earlier this year and go as far back as the brothers’ high school days. Wall Street Journal
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Ms. Foundation for Women appointed Kathy Ko Chin, Mary Kathryn Nagle, and Dr. Renée T. White to its board of directors. Lightmatter named Robin Washington to its board of directors.
ON MY RADAR
Former Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinner draws criticism for saying SafeSport is hindering coaches AP
In a Wimbledon full of surprises, one citizen of the world stands out Washington Post
The Devil Wears Prada sequel in the works about declining advertising revenues for print media The Guardian
PARTING WORDS
“I don’t just mean I’m a better runner. It’s beyond that. I’m better at being Sha’Carri. I’m better at being myself.”
— Track and field star Sha'Carri Richardson on her new motto, “I'm not back, I'm better.”