Even an algorithm can be unfair

This story first aired in December, 2015.

Algorithms affect everything from credit ratings to online ads. But what if they're biased? An algorithm is like a recipe -- a set of rules that tells a machine what to do. But like recipes, algorithms are written by humans, and they have to potential for bias baked in.

Suresh Venkatasubramanian, an associate professor in the School of Computing at the University of Utah talks about algorithmic unfairness.