Humans may have originated racial bias, but we now have artificially intelligent tools that perpetuate it for us. The tools broaden the reach, and obscure the effects.

AI is powered by algorithms. An algorithm is a mathematical equation comprised of a series of weighted inputs designed to achieve a particular objective. Like a recipe, the inputs define the ingredients, and the weightings define the quantities. (Bread has inputs including flour, salt, yeast, water—each of which is in a specified amount.) In the context of AI, the inputs are like the wiring of the brain, providing instructions on what to do once the brain receives information; sets of data provide the information that the brain processes in order to arrive at an answer.